NiGHTS Legend of the DreamWalkers: Prologue
by Jagoria
Summary: 30 years after Helen and Will saved their Dream worlds, Morisa, a small 8 year old discovers Nightopia after moving to Bellbridge. There, she meets an old owl, NiGHTS and his son, Renhet. Can a child of Reality befriend a child of Dreams? Or will chaos ensue? T rated for some graphic material, gore and subject matter. It's not a stereotypical fanfiction! I Promise! :)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**_** This is an extremely re-written and revamped version of this fan-fiction. When I first wrote this blasted thing I seemed to have no idea how to go about writing it properly at the time (Considering it was my first fict…).**_

_**When I decided to look back at my old work I nearly went cross-eyed at how horrible it was. ~ So now I'm going back and fixing EVERYTHING for this series as well as compleating it. Hopefully there'll be a lot less confusion and more viewers… Just so yal know kay! ^^**_

_**I've learned over my long existence that Fanfictions with OC's are usually scorned to the far ends of the earth, but I guess it really depends on how well written it is. Thank god none of the OC's are shipped with canon characters. I never planned it to be that way to begin with, but the irony's too sweet.**_

**I haven't abandoned this Fict. yet. **_**And since there aren't many well written fanfictions of the NiGHTS genre, let's just hope this will be better enjoyed now. Thanks to you who did bother to read this before it was revamped! And if you do leave reviews, I'll be eternally grateful!**_

_**There was a lot of thought put into all of this bahooy… I'm almost ashamed that this is so, but I really don't give a shit anyway :) This thing's been haunting my laptop for a few years now and my psyche. :s Hopefully when I finish this fanfiction the NiGHTS fandom taking over my brain will dissipate and leave me the fuck alone. **_

_**There have been some name changes in some of my characters. One was originally their name to begin with before this was originally typed out. I was particularly nervous to post the name because after I had come up with it I read another fanfiction on Deviant Art that had an OC with the same name and physical description. It was a really good fanfiction, but it was taken down or something cause I couldn't find it again after that. At least the character didn't actually have a personality at the time since at the end of it he had just been born… If the creator of that fanfiction reads this… I apologize in advance and ask why the hell you took it down in the first place! -.- **_

_**ANYWAAAAYYYYSSSSS….. God, I need to stop rambling… Let's move on. **_

**Disclamer:**_** I do not own Sega's original characters... I would jab them in the sides until they made another NiGHTS game. TvT I do own the characters I created.**_

* * *

**Chapter 1.**

A toxic gas which earlier swathed the pool now sat as an immobile mist. The thin sheen of white it cast only remained slightly visible to the eye, and resided as a less hazardous substance to anyone exposed. Some spots however remained submerged under thicker clouds, giving a ghostly appearance to the rocky shore.

It was then that a first-level Nightmaren landed in a crouch at the border of the crag overlooking the body of water to scanning about the area which lay void of any signs of life, both moving and or stationary.

This gas, as was discovered by some foolish second-level, turned out to be quite the danger towards their rank and under. Though it had been an interesting plan of their creator's to say the least, it left room to wonder how brainless those drones could have been to _accidently_ inhale the deadly gas of which their master made sure they were aware of.

The individual currently grounded on the rocks glanced upward and over her shoulder, spotting another of her rank reluctantly following. It seemed they weren't moving fast enough for her upbeat pace.

"Come on, Ree-san!" She hollered in a childish, feminine tone. The other caught up seconds later, heaving a long sigh. Not from physical exhaustion however, but rather the mental. At this point he was silently wishing that his master had disposed of him instead of throwing him into the metaphorical pit with this _new creation_ of his. The red Nightmaren responded, hissing through his teeth.

"Coget, you are really beginning to get on my nerves. I told you to _stop calling me that._" Somehow this imbecile ending up far more loathsome then his ex-partner ever was. A riled up swarm of disreputable emotions began to surface before he shoved them back down, cursing at himself quietly before clearing his mind. That colourful fool should been the last person to cross his mind. It was_ almost_ painful to think about him now.

Reala composed himself before his companion could catch a glimpse of his suddenly expressive stature and proceeded to chant in his head. _This will be over soon, this will be over soon_−

_"Hey Ree-San! Come look!" _

His mantra collapsed around him and he groaned.

_Oh good lord. What now._

Reala hovered over to the youngling's location which lay closer to the fog, grumbling about a load of something just out of her earshot. She jabbed a finger down towards the edge of the pool, the draping sleeves she wore swaying in a disgustingly enthusiastic way. The look on her face made him growl deep in his throat. _That curious look._ He hated that look in this character's eye more than anything; the circumstances of him being stuck with it now made it all the worse.

To top everything off, her accent couldn't have been any more jarring? Wiseman just HAD to go and royally fuck up her vocal cords. Japanese? _Really?_ He wasn't particularly fond of Asian languages actually, the Latin derived tongues always sat more appealingly with him. After first hearing the high pitched octave of her voice on her Creation Day, it took all of his will power not to just drill-dash her where she hovered. The same urge began to rise in him now, but instead of going right for the other 'Maren's face, he resentfully glanced over the edge.

A small figure lying on the rocks below caught his attention instantly, even with the small billows of fog blurring his view.

_Probably a victim of the gas_. Was his conclusion and he squinted with the futile attempt to see more detail. Was it a human? It could have been a very small child by the looks of it, but it was hard to distinguish any fine features.

Before Reala could get his opinion about the matter out in the air, he looked to his left to find his companion not where he'd left her. His mouth gaped at the vacant spot beside him before his eyes began to frantically hunt about for the idiot. It took him a long moment of searching to realize that Coget had already landed by the body. It was her excited squeal that let him discover that.

"It's a Nightmaren! But, what is it doing down here?"

Coget squatted lower, and innocently began to prod at the body with her long claws. Reala, in the mean time, disengaged from his perch above to land at the feet of the figure.

If their race owned hearts, now would have been the suitable time for him to experience a heart attack.

The small, naked body lay on its back against the uneven rock. Most of its length remained shrouded by a sopping, chaotic veil of black and violet hair. The size of it would have been easy to compare with fully grown Nightopian, possibly a little larger.

Coget turned it over, quite gently he noted and her hands brushed most of the matted silk to the side, revealing a skin tone the older first-level mutually shared. It possessed no neck or wrists either. Something that was definitely common in a first-level model; sparse as _they_ were.

This small creature disturbed Reala in almost every single imaginative way that he could classify as _wrong_. A dreadful sprout of thought kept creeping into his mind whenever he looked at it.

_Could it be? No that's preposterous! This must be some sort of elaborate prank or− _

"Oh, she's waking up!" Reala nearly leaped 10 feet as Coget's squeal upended his figurative train of disorderly mind-set.

The serene face of the Nightmaren vaguely contorted and a garbling sound bubbled from its mouth during its pre-waking state.

Coget cooed, running her claws through the tangle of hair in a way that made the other gag. "Oh. The poor lil' thing!"

The tiny Nightmaren fought to open its eyes, as if they'd been glued shut. Reala took notice of a royal blue hinting under its lashes before it winced and closed them against the dull light. Reala's entire body tensed. That was a very familiar shade of blue. One he wished would stop coming back to haunt him. Apparently this was karma's new way of jeering, _'Oh yeah bitch, take my divine retribution up the ass! Be sure to enjoy it!'_

And now he was personifying Karma. This was a sad day indeed.

"I've never seen her before. Strange, Wiseman never mentioned any new arrivals." His partner puzzled to herself and continued to stroke the creature's hair in a shockingly tender way. Coget had been alarmingly hectic since being introduced to her post in the ranks, but now her exuberance had been calmed. For some reason the unconscious being under her claws seemed to bring out a strange instinct within her, uncommon to the majority of her kind.

After the fourth brush of Coget's hand stroking just over its lashes, the large blue eyes of the Nightmaren shot open to their full size.

Just to Reala's horror, the being looked his way first.

Perhaps it was because he'd been staring at it the entire time but in turn he redirected his gaze to the lake on his right. Coget hadn't been paying his reactions any attention and for that he was grateful.

"Hey sweetie. Can you sit up?" It sounded as if she was a mother soothing her child. If Reala's entire world wasn't crashing around his non-existent ears, he would have slapped her for it. At least her voice captured the smaller Nightmaren's attention and it curiously gazed up at Coget instead.

"Let's take her to Wiseman. Maybe he'll know− _something_ about this." The words slipped out of Reala's mouth before he could stop them and grimaced. _Damn that loyalty complex. _

Coget nodded to him absently, not really paying him any mind. It astounded him at how quiet she had gotten. He observed grimly, but with a touch of relief. _I'm going to need to take notes if I want to shut her up in the future. Might as well start now._

The small Nightmaren sat up from her laying position and proceeded to stare about in dumb wonder. She did however pay extra attention to the duo who had discovered her. Reala glanced down at the unknown creation, noticing the dazed expression it had zoned both in and out._ Perhaps it's brain dead?_ He definitely hoped that was the case.

"Do you have a name?" Coget asked slowly, her voice dropping a pitch or two and gaining a maternal quality. Its face remained blank with a sliver of inquisitiveness peaking through. It did however attempt to move its lips, but they didn't work in its favor. When only a distorted clutter of sounds came forth, both of the taller nightmares glanced at each other and sighed. _Clearly our answer has been given._ Reala had a feeling Coget was thinking the same.

His partners face lit up, a sign that he should probably just abandon the other first-level here on her own and refuse to be apart of whatever she plotted. Wiseman, however, would have his head if he returned alone.

"Hmmmmmm. Name ideas− Reala-san, do you have any?" she inquired. Her round, noseless face wrinkled in thought, "She at least needs a name."

This question of hers not only surprised him because it was an absurd and completely out of the blue question, but for a different reason all together.

Only 6 day's old and she could think of something so pointless in contrast to hunting Ideya off the top of her head? What she inquired though did manage to stir something inside of him and his mind froze up while analyzing her question.

Someone he knew had asked him something similar a long while ago. Then he remembered. It was a conversation from the past that he had hoped to forget. Along with many others.

_"Hey, Ree?"  
"What is it, NiGHTS?"  
"If you were to name someone, what would you name them?"  
"What kind of a question is that?"  
"Awn! Don't be so mean! It's just a question!"  
"Fine, but what would YOU name someone?"  
"Well, if it was a boy, maybe, Renhet."  
"And a girl? As if it matters, we are genderless you know."  
"Ummmm, I don't know− and of course I knew that! You don't have to point out the obvious!"  
"heh."  
"What?"  
"Why are you thinking about names anyways, NiGHTS?"  
"Hey! You still haven't answered my question!"  
"You're changing the subject."  
"Whatever."  
"Well, I guess if it was _feminine_, Akila?"  
"It's pretty, I like it!"  
"Seriously?"  
"Yeah!"− _

"REALA-SAN!" He left his recollecting to discover Coget shaking him by the shoulders. "Why're you spacing out for! It's freaking me out!" She whined and Reala shoved her away, but he still appeared and felt dazed. How refreshing it was to see the newbie squirm. This rare occurrence of tranquility really put her off some. _Good._

"Akila, perhaps?" He suggested, a quiet mutter being all he could get out. Coget paused, clearly passing this through her twisted judgment and Reala braced himself, knowing what would come.

"KYYAAAAA! IT'S PERFECT! SO CUTE!"

Man, if only she would explode in another fashion that _wouldn't_require the use of her voice.

"From now on your name's going to be Akila! Ok?" Coget grinned down at the newest addition to the group.

"ah." The little 'Maren replied. It also attempted a little nod, but it was so pathetically lethargic Reala almost expected it to pass out where it sat.

"Well, come on then! You'd better tag along with us!" The feminine 'Maren radiated enthusiasm while she bellowed it out. Her more masculine partner winced before shooting her a glare. "Stand up!" She instructed, hands gesturing upwards. The Nightmaren −now known as Akila− trembled as she pulled herself up on her stubby legs, but her weakened limbs wouldn't allow it and she wobbled backwards. Reala caught her by the shoulder before she stumbled into the pool at her back.

"Maybe one of us should carry you." he sighed, until it occurred to him when his mouth had just spewed and the consequences to follow.

_Shit._

Akila smiled shyly, or in a more accurate sense to him, feebly, and proceeded to lift her hands up to him. Almost like how a human toddler would offer. _That cheeky little brat. _She didn't seem scared of them at all. Only bashful!

He seized her, none too gently, under the arms with a snarl and picked her up. His eyes widened a fraction in disgust as she cuddled into his large, phlox-hued collar. Her hands clung to the feathers underneath the neckwear and he tried not to snap at the youngling in his hold.

Coget looked astounded by what she saw, but was intelligent enough not to open her mouth too wide. Out of the few days since her creation date, Coget had come to the conclusion that her partner was a more uptight ass than she could ever begin to stand. Why their master had placed her with him was beyond comprehension, but she tried to make the best it.

This didn't change the fact that this new development of character had her at a loss.

Seeing the smaller figure pressing against Reala stoked a new pile of questions within her mind. The first being, _Why did they look so− similar?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. **

"Hello?"

The little girl managed to whisper. Her small dress shoes pattered warily over the cobblestone path and she eased her way through a pair of tall iron gates. She regarded the scenery while tiptoeing along, not sure of what to make of this new destination.

This new dream of hers was something bazaar to behold. Everything looked too real, too vivid for someone of her age or creativity to conjure.

Shimmying along down the lane, her senses alit to where the path branched. A glorious monument sat vertical to the girl's line of sight, surrounded by a ring of broken doors.

Actually, to be more specific, it was a fountain.

The otherworldly aura it emanated beckoned the girl forward, and she followed it half willingly. Her narrow set of black eyes widened as the water descending from its peak and glittered riotously, even though night had a solid claim over the skies.

Dragging her attention away from the spectacular sight, she called out again, "Is anyone here?" The sound was feeble, and very unlikely to reach anywhere within this dream world of hers.

"Are you new here miss?" Inquired an elderly voice.

The girl's head snapped to the left and an owl in an overcoat appeared. When the large bird caught her eye she yelped, hands flying up to cover up where the pathetic sound emerged. Gradually she lowered her hands, examining the one who had frightened her.

"Who are you? What is this place?" she questioned, albeit with a little more confidence in her voice. Looking at the large bird in disbelief, he didn't seem so alarming afterall.

"You, my dear, are in the Night-Dimension. Or in other words, the _World of Dreams_. You may call me Owl if you wish." He replied, the owl sounded wise beyond her years as he spoke.

"Ho− how do you know Japanese?" she fumbled. It was only just recently that her mother and her had moved to Bellbridge from their native country. The classmates in her new school spoke English and she couldn't understand them no matter how hard she struggled. Did everyone in the United Kingdom visit the _World of Dreams_ when they slept? Everything here revolved around a strangeness that she couldn't seem to grasp.

"I know many languages, for I have lived− well, for _many_ years." He answered her lightly. The girl managed a small smile. It was nice to have someone else to chat with besides her mother.

An abrupt whoosh of air hit her from behind, followed by a positively flamboyant voice.

"Well! Who's this?" Again, the girl's head pulled a full 180 degrees and what greeted her was a pair of huge, navy blue eyes nearly inches from her face. She stifled a shriek and pulled herself a good meter back from the invading presence, nearly smacking whatever the heck it was in the process.

Feeling like she was a safer distance away, her own narrow eyes roamed the figure of what could only be described as flying, purple jester supporting a round, nose-less face. Bright sparkles of light fluttered from its hands whenever it moved in the air as it hovered a few meters or so from the ground. It possessed a look that was very alien to her, yet it also owned humanoid features. The jester stared at the girl as if surprised by her reaction− or possibly amused by it?

"_NiGHTS!_ Don't appear like that! You almost gave us BOTH heart attacks!" The Owl scolded. This changed his demeanor entirely and their new company flashed him a peeved look.

"Oh calm down you old bird!" It fussed.

_It's got to be a she−_ noted the girl conclusively once hearing the voice again.

_She_ turned _her_ attention back to the girl, "Well! What's your name young lady?" the flying being asked the visitor with a merry grin. She seemed to be friendly enough, so the girl returned the offered smile; but a frown followed.

There still remained a problem. The creature spoke the familiar gibberish of English and she couldn't make sense of _any_ of it. The girl silently pleaded for the owl's help with a desperate glance. Eventually realizing the reason for her stillness and side-looks, the old bird jumped and let out a comprehensive "Oh!" before ruffled his feathers to get the jester's attention.

"Opps! NiGHTS, she can't understand you." Owl explained and the huge eyes belonging to the one in question shot him a curious side-glance. The formally-dressed bird sighed before continuing, "Hoo. She doesn't speak English. Or, so it seems. Japanese apparently."

"Oh! Really?" NiGHTS' face lit up and she crossed her legs above them. The creature asked the girl again in the alternative tongue, "So, what's your name then?" The girl's brain function flat-lined for a moment and her mouth slightly gapped.

"Uh− umm− Morisa?" A baffled stutter escaped her. Now another one of them could understand her? This was too good to be true!

"Morisa? I like it!" NiGHTS beamed down at her but the smile was short-lived, it morphed just as quickly to a look of alarm. A second whoosh of air brushed the back of Morisa's neck and she looked behind her. Before she could catch glimpse of the approaching fourth company rocketing towards her, a yell of distress met her ears.

Something small, yet solid collided with Morisa's shoulder sending the upper-half of her body collapsing forwards to be followed by the rest. Landing on the stone didn't hurt as much as she thought it would; but whatever struck her knocked the air out of her lungs when she landed.

A few floundering seconds of gasping for air later, Morisa rasped. "Ow! Wha−" and then ran out of air again. Something buoyant laid sprawled out over the small of the girl's back and she could feel it move. Eventually the remaining breath Morisa required returned to her and an attempt to remove her cheek from the ground was made.

The visitor's ears caught wind of the violet jester chiding garrulously and a much more silent Owl fretting in the background, but the noise in her ears remained distant with static. She lay still until everything stopped blurring out around her.

"Renhet, watch where you're flying!" NiGHTS scolded. A sigh wooshed from the jester's mouth and she descended to only a foot from the ground.

A new voice spoke up this time and it sounded, or, felt a lot closer to her.

"Uh, opps. Sorry mum." It reminded her of how some of the boys in her new grade 3 class sounded, There was a tinge of British accent, and it certainly wasn't as potent as some of the others she had heard.

Morisa gasped and sat up. Or, her _attempt_ to sit up would have been a much more accurate description. Instead she ended up rolling slightly to her left, proceeding to knock off the small figure draped over her middle and _then_ sat up to observe what heck had run her over.

Another jester in a red and purple outfit tumbled back onto the stone with a yelp.

"Hoo! Oh goodness, I am so sorry for that my dear! Renhet apologize to the visitor at once! Oh and for gods sake help her up!" Owl admonished. The small _train_ that ran her over let out a nervous laugh.

"Right, my bad." He gave Morisa a cheeky look with his large, slanted eyes and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. This jester could have easily rivaled in size with some of her larger, baby dolls; only this one's head was greatly disproportioned to its body. The first thing that popped out the most to her was the colour of his irises. They looked synthetic almost, icy, sharp− More so then NiGHTS' did but they were equally huge enough to draw you in. Besides that, the remaining facial features he possessed were either pale or snowy white, a total contrast to his vibrantly coloured attire.

Morisa couldn't help but feel the confusion set in as he spoke. It was the same dialect which still desired to mock her.

_"Nani?" _She raised her eyebrow and his face pinched just above his left eye in what she could only assume was his attempt to form the same expression.

"Uh, what?" Renhet regarded her oddly and she the same.

"Ren, she doesn't speak English." NiGHTS explained, coming to their rescue. "Morisa, this is my son, Renh−" "It's REN."

The smaller jester barked before his mother could finish. At least he was able to pick out his own name within the unknown lexis.

"Alright, _Ren_!" she corrected, clear to emphasize the shortened name . "He's only 8, and I'm sorry to say that all he knows is English."

"Ah." Morisa replied. So they were the same age? She noted that with a slight bob of the head. Ren stood and proceeded to depart from the ground, the same sparkles she'd seen from NiGHTS fell from his hands in an identical fashion to his mothers.

This dream truly felt like a messed up parody involving Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, with a dash of Harlequin thrown in on the side.

The little jester grasped the girl by the wrist and pulled her up to her feet. Morisa gasped when her full weight was lifted effortlessly off the ground. It felt like being picked up by someone as strong as her mother's boyfriend, and he had quite the set of muscles on him.

Now that she was on her feet again, she found herself comparing the size differences between her and the others. Something she had a habit of when meeting new people. Their old family doctor had told her she was abnormally short for someone her age, but in comparison to Renhet she didn't feel as unfortunate anymore. Tinkerbell crossed her mind earlier for more than one reason. Morisa let a giggle slip from under her breath and he glared at her, his eye level horizontal to hers. The jester huffed, flying back over to his mother's side.

NiGHTS looked about half a foot taller then herself, not including the air space beneath her large, booted feet.

"So Morisa? Would you like to try flying?" NiGHTS asked suddenly with an excited chuckle as soon as Ren had joined her side. Morisa froze in mid-thought.

_Wait− flying?_

"Wha− what?" the girl gaped up at NiGHTS, feeling her dwelling apprehension rise. "What do you mean by, _flying_?"

Owl seemed to notice the discomforting note in her voice and cooed, "You don't have to if you don't wish to."

"I mean, if you _duelize_ with Renhet or myself, you can fly _with _us!" NiGHTS explained briefly, but still held her enthusiastic air.

The girl's voice made her decision before her mind could catch up, "Nu− No! I'm fine!" This refusal clearly shocked NiGHTS and it showed plainly on her face. Very rarely did any of the previous visitors refuse the offer. EVER.

NiGHTS offered her a saddened look, "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm sure!" The girl gave a sharp nod causing her dark hair to bounce.

"Gaahh, what're you saying!?" An explosion of colourful English words assaulted them, issued by none other then Renhet himself. His little arms flung out as if to animate his frustration. He then slumped, sprawling himself out in the air over his mother's shoulder. Being left out of conversations clearly seemed to be something he loathed. Especially if the said conversation couldn't be understood.

"She doesn't want to fly." His mother recapped dolefully in his direction and Ren's narrow eyes comically bulged.

"_Why not_? Flying's the_ best!_ Man, what a _wuss_!" He scoffed and Morisa's gaze tapered.

Even though she couldn't understand him, the physical reaction made his opinion clear. With the last bit of words he mumbled near the end, his eyes regarded her in a challenging manner which sparked a broiling fury within her.

"F− FINE, I'LL DO IT!" She declared causing the others to look her over in astonishment. The girl didn't mind though. For some reason she was just craving to prove him wrong.

"Alright!" NiGHTS' face re-lit. Without suspicion towards the girl's reason for her change of mind, she looked thrilled. "You'll go with Renhet then!"

Morisa's heart nearly stopped.

"What?" The blood in her face derailed from its proper course and dropped. NiGHTS peered down at the visitor smugly and then directed her attention towards her son, a devious look in place.

"Huh?" Ren didn't notice the look at first, but when he did the little jester back peddled. Clearly he'd hear his name in all that, right? NiGHTS sustained her furtive smirk and repeated what she had said in a tongue he could understand.

"WHAT?" His voice audibly cracked. The expression on his face was priceless and Morisa would've laughed if only she hadn't been so horrified herself.

"Now get going! You know what to do− and _don't_ you hiss at me!" NiGHTS gave his back a gentle shove and insistently pushed him over to where Morisa stood. He tried the push back against her hands but failed to succeed.

"Just touch him and you'll duelize, but you have to WANT to duelize or else it won't work." The older jester instructed. Morisa blinked.

_Wait. That was it? Why did it sound so simple and yet nearly impossible?_

"Umm." Morisa groaned, "Do I have to. I mean− with HIM?" This idea kept losing its appeal the longer it lasted. The poor girl wasn't sure if the smaller jester wanted to wage allegiance or war against her. Heck, they'd just been introduced!

"Fine! Let's just get this over with!" Ren growled, extending his tiny hand for her to take. He turned his head to the side sporting an unruly scowl.

_Oh yeah, this one wished for war..._

Panic seared Morisa's wits._ Should I? It's only a dream anyway right?_ She hesitated, gazing at the wrist-less arm being offered and looked back up at the creature with doubt in her eyes. He glanced at her once, twice, still holding that ignorant glare. She relaxed a little when she noticed the spark of curiosity in his eye. As if contemplating whether or not she would have the backbone to make a move. Inhaling sharply, Morisa came to a conclusion.

_I'm definitely going to prove you wrong._

Shutting her eyes firmly, her arm lashed out and nabbed his hand. An electric spark shot up her spin as soon as they touched, but it didn't hurt. A weightlessness overtook her and she swallowed.

Morisa dared to open her eyes and both she and Renhet gasped.

~Woah!~

Her and the jester's bodies overlapped, but his took on a solid form.

~That. Felt really weird.~ Ren affirmed. After he spoke, Morisa continued to lift her hands, feeling her stomach drop. They were translucent, as well as her arms, legs, everything! Her fingers flexed the way she commanded them to, and Renhet's proceeded to mirror her as if totally under her power. She had to admit,_ that was cool._ A faint smirk graced her ghostly features.

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Something occurred to her once her self-examination finished. _Didn't Ren-kun just− _Her heart jumped.

~Hey! I can understand you!~ Morisa gasped. Renhet hesitated for a moment. The gears in his head began to grind and then corrected himself.

~Scratch that. This is weird times two.~

"When duelizing, you can communicate through your thoughts. This should be an easier way for you two to talk because of the language barrier." Owl hummed with glee.

~Heh, yeah. Just what I need, a conscience.~ Renhet groaned, almost good heartedly but a short tail of snark still clung to his tone. She didn't exactly know what a conscience was −and the jester snickered when she thought it.−

_That meany. _

She retaliated anyway, scrunching her nose. ~I can HEAR you!~ A nasty chuckled and a 'whatever' was all she received in return.

"Now, get along you two!" NiGHTS interrupted their silent dispute. Morisa felt a sense of relief drip over Renhet's already soured mood, but NiGHTS' sing-song voice caught him before he could move a step. "Oh, and Ren, let Morisa try flying on her own!"

Throwing that relief out the metaphorical window, her new flying partner cringed and spun back around.

"But she'll drive me into a wall!" He whined. To be honest, Morisa had a sinking feeling that she most likely would by accident. If given the opportunity. Hand-eye, coordination wasn't a strength of hers.

To both of their dismay, NiGHTS' resolve stood strong and she bellowed. "Get, Going!"

After the frightening glare they received, and experiencing the disgust from the younger jester for not having his way, Morisa gaped at the abrupt thoughts being projected into her mind from Renhet's.

_He wouldn't dare._

Before she could join the dots together, Morisa found herself being launched into the air.

All _too_ far from the ground.

~_What are you doing?!~_ She shrieked, distress filling her essence to the brim. Why had she agreed to this, _WHY?_

~What do you think!~ Morisa, still suffering in her moment of terror, had been too preoccupied to realized that Renhet had the ability to respond. She hollered out again.

~Slow Down!~

Ren's emotions spiked into a cloud of rage and he snarled. ~ NO!~

The next thing she knew, Morisa was physically resisting his control. Using all the strength she could that she now possessed in this form and pulled back. This action received an alarmed shout from the other.

~_What_ are you _doing!?~_

~I said SLOW DOWN!~ She screeched back at him, trying to halt the rocketing death ride.

It wasn't until Ren started screaming out in alarm that Morisa realized she was flying them blindly without any outside awareness. Her focus snapped wide open, but at that point it was a little too late.

~TREE! TREE!− ~

They hit it face first and plummeted like a pair of rocks.

A Pair_._

_Oh, the duelization must have ended._

Morisa landed on her side and the shock of pain it caused made her cry out. Her whole body shook as if she was out in the snow with no cloths. Thankfully they weren't very far from the ground when they separated.

That was a relief. A huge relief.

Her ears caught he sound of Ren landing gracelessly beside her. After the initial yelp of him smacking his head off the solid earth and grass, he whimpered and gingerly cradled the back of his hat.

After most of the pain subsided he glared hard at the girl, "What were you _thinking!?"_ His glower hit her like a rock to the gut and she gave him a good-natured wince in return. Morisa once again couldn't understand him in the slightest and she sighed to herself.

"This is going to be a long night."

**0-0-0-0-0**

**Author's note: **_**Before anyone starts bickering about Morisa calling NiGHTS a **_**she**_**, this is from an 8 year old visitor's point of view and she doesn't know shit about Nightmaren. :) I am a firm believer in Nightmaren being genderless, but I find it more entertaining when approaching them as **_**hermaphroditic. **_**And that's how I'm gunna roll in this fict. Just a heads up. Renhet calls NiGHTS his mother because he **_**is**_** his mother. Wrap your head around that shit. :) **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

By the time the trio approached Nightmare, Akila had fallen asleep.

_Of course, in my arms no less. _Reala added to himself bitterly. It was unbelievable how much this thing could _cling_ to you.

"It's soooo cute!" Coget squealed for the third time in their short travel.

Reala had been tremendously aggravated from the beginning. However now he was reaching the end of his rope. _What in Wiseman's name has this night turned into? _He sighed, trying to distract himself with thoughts of his bed, and sleep. Man what he wouldn't give for some piece and quiet at that moment.

Or maybe something to rip apart? Yes, that would be nice as well.

His partner was almost adhering to him as much as the doll-like figure in his arms and once or twice he had to slap her hands away. Oh what he wouldn't _give_ to have something to rip apart…

A nagging question reared its ugly head at him when they finally reached the small, graying courtyard within Nightmare's grounds.

Who would present Akila to the master?

Of course Coget would probably jump at the chance if asked, but he proceeded to inquire anyway.

"Are you going to take her in? Or shall I?" He mumbled gruffly, enough for the other to hear.

Even if there was a ninety-five percent chance of her agreeing, he simply had to know. This Nightmaren resembled him a lot more then what he was comfortable with and the master would shortly notice this upon first sight. If Reala's assumptions were correct, then there was going to be either indifference on the situation, or a lot of his life-blood plastered along the walls of the master's void. If that was even possible to do.

Maybe he could even bend the scenario to his will? What if it _did_ come down to whether Akila was created on purpose or not? If that were to occur, and it probably would, maybe Wiseman would see Akila as just another Ideya hunting tool. Her mind could be melded after all, right? It was already wiped clean anyway.

"Sure! Well, I'm the one that found her, duhhh!" Coget exclaimed making Reala, once again, jump out of his stupor and she continued to blather on in awe. "Maybe he'll even let me keep her! Oh that would be so cool! I'd be like a− what do those visitors call them again Reala-san? OH, right! A Mum!"

Reala's only visible response was a grimace. If Akila's mind was molded by this individual alone− _good lord…_ He didn't want to witness the outcome. Perhaps supervising the fresh clay in the kiln wouldn't be too bad of a commitment to make.

Through Coget's insistent blather, Akila stirred around in his grip and snuggled closer than Reala ever thought possible into his collar. As they landed by the main doors of the castle, she yawned wide and rubbed against the X markings on her eyelids with both tiny fists. The alleged first-level holding her almost thought it was cute, until the realization of what he was thinking caught up with him. He then proceeded to deter the thought entirely.

Coget noticed Akila waking from her slumber and she reached out to Reala for the smaller 'Maren. Akila, thankfully, reached out to the offered arms, making the transfer a lot easier.

"Come on sweetheart, let's go see Master Wiseman!" The newer model cooed and all three of them made for the center of the castles structure.

The abyss known as Wiseman's lair.

As they came to the towering doors which lead to their master's imminent verdict, Reala began to feel even more anxious about this situation than before. He kept telling himself nothing would go wrong. However there was a high chance that once Akila and Coget went in, only one of them would come out. And then he'd be next.

A gulp left the throat he did not possess as Reala watched Coget open the chamber doors and closed them behind her.

0-0-0-0-0

_**"Coget," **_A booming voice echoed about the room after the doors closed with a booming reverberation. _**"You have not requested to speak with me. What is so important that you would disturb me, creation?"**_ Coget instantly went down on one knee and bowed her head in respect. Even with Akila in one arm, this wasn't difficult to achieve.

The foreboding tone of his voice sent icy shivers through her very core. It was also a challenge to keep up a calm demeanor in his prescience. Serious, quirk-free sentences as well as keeping a stoic expression was in her partner's jurisdiction, not hers.

"Forgive me Master Wiseman." She placed Akila beside her, while offering the smaller Nightmaren an arm to hold onto. Without the ability to fly, and the bottomless expanse of darkness below them, Akila obediently clung to the offered limb. She even attempted to bow, observing the other Nightmaren do so, but it was clumsy and she almost lost her grip on the silky sleeve of her caretaker. "While on our mission we found an unfamiliar creation that looks to be of Nightmaren origins. She has appeared to have had her memory wiped due to the gas." Coget, tried to keep her head strait as she spoke, but the more she spoke, the less sure she felt about herself being there.

_**"Hmmm."**_ A large mass of black rose from the darkness below before a disembodied hand appeared. Five others followed, each implanted with a glowing eye in the palms. All three pairs focused in on the awaiting subject and slightly squinted. After a few long seconds, which seemed like hours in Coget's opinion, the remaining portion of Wiseman rose from the endless depths as a massive jeweled being in navy robes.

When one considered the terms of giant, their master was a God. Coget dwarfed his largest finger in comparison. The jester in question glanced at her tiny ward and was relived to see that their master's appearance hadn't frightened her off. Actually, she seemed quite enthralled by the grandeur of his figure. Her large eyes seemed to dart everywhere they could reach and her mouth parted in awe.

It wasn't a minute or two before Wiseman spoke again, _**"Can it speak?" **_was his question. Eyes continued to rove the room, still investigating the little Nightmaren clinging to the arm of the other.

"No Master Wiseman," Coget replied. "We had to give it a name ourselves."

_"W-Wiseman."_

There was a heavy pause in the room and it took a very sluggish moment for Coget to grasp where the voice had come from. It was only after a quick double take that she gasped out, "Did you just?! –I −I swear my Lord! That's the first time she's ever spoken in my presence or Reala's!−"

"_**Reala was there with you? Why is he not also presenting this discovery?"**_

Coget inhaled a started breath of air and fumbled, "Actually, Master, I was wondering if I could take it under my wing. It seems to be of first-level model, and I believe she might have… potential?"

Coget felt like burying herself into a hole and never coming out again. Even though she came up with that excuse on the spot, looking at Akila− she did resemble a first-level, well, in shape anyway. Size was a different story.

Another resonating _**"Hmmm."**_ Echoed from the god, making the pondering Nightmaren wince. Wiseman seemed to be interested. That was definitely a good thing. _**"Let me examine it. It does not fly?"**_

"It's aerodynamic, master, I do believe it can be taught."

One of the large hands lowered to Akila and Coget was able to place the smaller 'Maren on the large platform without her putting up any resistance. Glancing back at the larger Nightmaren however, Akila seemed to be unsure of what to do.

Coget bobbed her head in the hand's direction. "Go on, and watch out for the eye, okay?" She reassured as the hand pulled away and up to a higher altitude. The other five appendages swarmed Akila as she sat; letting them get a closer look at her. The observer down below noticed no fear in the youngling's eyes, just faint curiosity. Wiseman's hand circled the little being once, then twice, until he spoke again.

_**"I have no memory of creating this nightmare." **_He confessed with an utmost strange befuddlement that bordered on frustration. This caused Coget to raise an eyebrow she did not possess. _**"You say it was found like this?" **_She nodded in response, wondering why his mood had suddenly decided to do a flip-flop. _**"Its name?" **_he continued to speak and Coget answered, feeling a lot more hopeful about the whole thing.

"Akila, Master." Another _'hmmmm' _followed this until−

_**"Very well. Until its memory is restored, you will take responsibility for it. If it fails to bring in good results while in a hunt, then it will be put out of its misery. Do I make myself entirely sound?" **_

"Yes, Master." Her optimism took a leap for the skies in the most pleasant of ways.

_**"Good. This anonymous creation might have potential in the future. You will take place as her Guardian. " **_Coget's face cracked a smile, her increase of excitement winning her over. "I couldn't thank you enough Master!"

_**"I'll have some new garments made and sent down to your dorm. She will be placed with the other experimentations tomorrow. Now leave me at peace. There is work that needs my attention." **_With that said, Wiseman sank below into the nothingness of which he came.

0-0-0-0-0

Coget left the room with Akila, a stoic expression still masking her face. Reala, not knowing why he hadn't just left well alone in the first place, spotted them both from his spot against the far wall.

When Coget caught a glimpse of him a smile twitched at her lips and she strolled over to where he leaned against the stone. _Great. Now she thinks she has the audacity to laugh at me. This is pitiful! How far have I fallen? _He muddled while waited for them to approach. Better yet though, it seemed as if they had passed the test.

_But− Did he not notice? Certainly this development is peculiar. _

Coget stopped abruptly before him, her new charge held up in one arm. It was time to hear it.

"Well? Out with it."

"Well, well, Reala-san. I'm surprised you stuck around." she leered, and his arising glare deepened. She let out a thunderous and startling whoop, making the older Nightmaren jump. "I'm her new Guardian! Haha!" After the initial shock, they ebbed into silence until Reala deadpanned in Akila's direction.

"It was nice knowing you, kid. You'll be dead by the morning."

Akila blinked cluelessly and the Nightmaren holding her up posed in mock hurt to exclaim.

"Whaaaaat? You have no faith in me?!" Akila just kept looking at Reala's vest, not seeming to pay the conversation any attention.

Indifferent was the best way to describe his expression as he sighed, "Even if I told you yes, it wouldn't do you any favors." Reala took this as his key to leave for his quarters and turned for the left hall. "Good luck, _guardian._" With a lazy, half-hearted wave of his hand, he casually flew off around the corner.

Coget stuck out her tongue after him and hoisted Akila up a little higher on her bosom. The smaller Nightmare had begun to doze off during the short exchange and she sighed. It was time to retire for the night.

As she headed off in the same direction as Reala had gone, she whispered to the body in her arms. "You'll be staying with me for now until you get settled in the Procreation ward, okay?" A muffled mumble was all she got and a warm sensation in her chest made her smile. It wasn't like the littler one would understand her anyway. Coget flew around another bend and came to her door, proceeding to unlock it with her energy signature and headed on inside.

0-0-0-0-0

Reala watched as they disappeared around the corner. He felt distant. Faint even. It wasn't until he was out of sight that he let his walls drop, causing the panic to overtake him. _He hadn't noticed? But it MUST have been obvious!_ A sick feeling overtook him. Thinking positively was beginning to become a chore, but he kept trying. _Maybe he HAS noticed. Maybe I'm not in trouble at all! But why didn't he call me into the room? If he knew would he at least make me aware? Right? _He paused and shuttered his eyes, pressing his back into the cold stone. _Deep breaths, Reala._ He thought._ Let it all come in stride._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. **

~Just don't− fly too high. And I'll be fine. Okay?~ Both Morisa and Ren had taken to flying around the Dreamgate and the surrounding area durring next few visits. It had been a miracle so far that they hadn't killed each other just yet −or at least from Owl's perspective anyway−.

Nearly everyone could tell that Renhet was at the end of his rope. He hated clinging to the ground more than− well, he didn't really hate very many things. Besides Owl's tutoring of course and that happened very far in-between. He huffed for the third time that day.

~Morise, why are you such a killjoy?~ The girl didn't respond for a few long seconds. He could hear her thinking too. It irritated him to the point where he wanted to snark at her, _again_.

Finally, she spoke up after what seemed like an eternity. ~A− Killjoy?~

~What? You can't decipher it by saying _kill_ and _joy_? You're pretty stupid.~ Well, so much for a _friendly approach_, because Ren had thrown it out the window since they began this whole thing. Whatever the heck _it_ was.

He suddenly thought about taking back what he'd said, but that was before he felt a flash of anger over their link.

~At least I'm taller than you!~ Was her vehement retort and he rolled his eyes. Really? Was that all she could give him? It was on.

He laughed out right, ~I've seen other visitors before. You're pretty shrimpy too if you bothered to look close enough.~ And then the flame fizzled as soon as it ignited. Another emotion from her side of the line decided to wiggle its way into the mess, jabbing him in the stomach.

~You're so mean. All because I'm new and different. Everyone acts the same way around me when I'm awake! Now it's going to happen while I sleep?! It's not fair!~ A snivel could be heard as she spoke and Ren sighed.

_At least this kid has people to talk to. _He thought as his hand brushed a− _trees?_

He came to a halt above the ground, eyes wide. He hadn't noticed where they were heading until now and the area surrounding them felt unfamiliar.

Morisa decided to speak up, and Ren really wished that she hadn't.

~He− hey, where are we?~

Sadly, he couldn't answer her.

A thick, murky forest stood tall before them. It was so overgrown in fact, that he couldn't see anything three feet in due to the amount of bush and undergrowth.

~Where'd this come from?~ The question was toward no one as he spoke, but he immediately pressed forward. Odd as it may be, he was already itching to explore it.

~Um, doesn't it look a little, _weird?_~ He stopped in his tracks and groaned out it frustration.

~Oh my _GOD_. WHY are you such a _WIMP?_~ Enough was enough. He had to find out what was in this forest and he needed to find out _now._

Morisa felt an odd, yet familiar sensation then. Realizing what Ren was about to do, she shouted, ~Hey! Wait!~ but the duelization had already been cut.

She stood there in alarm on her own two feet as Renhet began to paw at the foliage for an opening a few meters away from her. A glare was sent her way, then a garble of unknown words before he pushed his way through the green.

"HEY!" Morisa yelled after him, "WAIT!" As soon as the jester had parted the vegetation and entered, no trace of him could be seen. Morise stood frozen in place, waiting for him to come back out or any other movement. When nothing happened, the first thought crossing her mind was,

_Oh god. What now?_

0-0-0-0-0

_"If yer too chicken to come exploring, then I don't want to drag you around." he said bluntly. _

Of course she couldn't understand him. He should have remembered that before going in, but at the moment Renhet couldn't have cared less.

He also couldn't recall the last time he'd ever been so confused.

Ren knew every cranny of the area, and yet the question still remained. Where had all this come from? Maybe it was the work of the bad Nightmaren his mum always told him stories about? He'd never seen any in person yet though. The only real information he had been given was that NiGHTS had been one of them, but he rebelled. Eventually the other Nightmaren who scoured the Dream dimension to capture his mother gave up the chase.

He found it all sort of cool. Life in Nightopia was so boring that any amount of life-threatening danger would be a blast to experience!

Renhet looked behind him to find trees, then above him to find trees, his results were the same everywhere he looked and he hummed to himself nervously. Perhaps this _was_ a really stupid idea.

_I'm __Lost,_ he concluded.

No speck of clear sky could be seen anywhere, and it was beginning to make him feel uneasy. _Definitely the time to resurface_. At that moment he launched himself up into the branches and aimed to break through the canopy of leaves, but he didn't reach it.

In mid-altitude something sharp wrapped around his hand and nearly jolted him out of the air. Ren glanced down in panic as whatever it was continued to pull and slice at his captured appendage.

It was a vine. A very animated, thorny, _vine_.

He yanked at it, trying to loosen its hold enough to get free of the thorns latching into his skin. He realized all too late that it was a poor move. The grip it had became tighter and dug in deeper the more he struggled.

Renhet hissed as most of them punctured, causing florescent pink to flow up to the surface of his skin and trickle down onto the flora gripping him. A flash of movement caught the corner of his eye. Other vines of the same breed began to stir, crawling closer towards their new found prey. He gulped.

0-0-0-0-0

Morisa shuffled back and forth on her feet, finding it impossible to stand still.

_Should I go in?_ She kept wondering and gnawed on her bottom lip in aggravation. Eventually she hollered out with as much vehement force as she could and flailed her arms. "Argh! WHY do I have to put UP with this MONSTER?"

An anguished scream answered her back which wasn't her own and she let out a startled shriek, jumping further away from the woods.

The yell continued to linger and finally level off, causing her veins to ice over. She leaped into action without thinking and ran for the tree line, a wave of adrenaline boosting her forward. "I KNEW it wasn't safe! That idiot!" she growled, parting the bushes just enough to wedge her way through.

"Reeeennnn-kun!" Morise knew the bellows she let out could easily be understood, but she still hadn't gotten any response. Her small feet dashed over the underbrush, making sure to watch where she stepped. "REN-KUNNN!"

Another, weaker yelp met her ear. This time she was able to tell the direction of which it came and she turned a sharp left.

Morise couldn't breath. It felt like her heart was catching in her throat as she ran but she kept on running. The humidity under the canopy was astoundingly high as well, which didn't assist her either.

Eventually she began to slow, gasping for air like a fish out of water. She looked around with her hands braced on her knees, keeling over and huffing from the exertion. "R− Ren-kun?" She saw a familiar shade of red through the bush in front of her. Suddenly she was wondering if all this was an elaborate prank. He seemed like the type to do so; just to shake her down. Or at least, she hoped it was a prank. She really did.

"C− come on." The girl stuttered, reaching into the bush. "Stop playing around." Her hand only got so far until a harsh movement erupted from the coverage.

"WAIT− STOP!" She heard Ren's voice yell out in a feeble warning, but the damage had been done. Before she could withdraw her hand, something sharp and ropey rapped about her wrist. She shrieked and pulled at it. Instead, it tugged her through the bush and into a small air pocket within the leaves.

Before Morise knew it, she was in the same position as Ren. Bound by vines, and hanging.

"I told you to stop you idiot! Now we're both suck!" He cursed loudly and his state frightened her. Not only was his hat and cloths torn in places, but the same long, green ropes holding her captive had constricted around what little body he had. The only vines holding Ren off the ground coiled around his hands, already having drawn blood. He also seemed to be stuck between hovering and dangling, trying to take some of the presser off the puncture wounds.

Unfortunately, Morisa didn't have that luxury. She hung there by her one arm with her toes reaching for solid ground that lay just inches away. Her free hand reached up quickly and clutched onto the vine, trying to keep it from slicing the veins in her wrist and managed to hoist herself a little farther off the ground. Renhet noticed this and his eyes widened in alarm.

"What are you!− Don't _grab_ it, it'll−" Just as he began sputtering, it sliced open her hand and she dropped with a shriek.

The force behind Morisa's fall wasn't much, but enough to cause the vines to slide down her forearm, leaving long, nasty gashes as it slipped and her descent halted once more. In all that hassle, her toes still hadn't found purchase on the forest floor.

Ren opened his mouth to grumble something, only being able to get out "Stupid−"but stopped himself from continuing. Crimson began to gush down the girl's arm, dripping onto her shoulder and face. There was a harsh sob and then the waterfall of tears began.

Renhet's eyes widened at the distressing display. Her reaction slapping all his cold commentary away like a palm to the face. He wasn't bleeding nearly as much as she was and it was a nauseating sight to see. It took a few long moments before he could speak again, too petrified by the sounds of her violent sobbing.

"Uh, hey. You okay?" That was all he could articulate, and his voice was gone again. Morisa forced a nodded, and Ren couldn't help but admire the strength she placed behind it. The thing that killed him the most out of this situation was that he couldn't even offer to help support her. They were too far out of reach for that.

It didn't take long before the one side of Morisa's shirt was soaked in red. Her bawling decreased to sniffles as she tried to fight back against the pain.

"s− sorry."

Morisa looked up, agony clear on her face, but there was also surprise noted in her eyes. Ren's voice was barely a whisper, however she had excepted the apology. When it came to Renhet and the conceit he displayed; he really did mean what he said.

0-0-0-0-0

Over time, the bonds became tighter on both of them. Day in the Dream realm was almost at close, as well as the night in reality.

Morisa glanced over at Renhet, he looked haggard. Honest suffering was easy to spot in his posture. The strange florescent liquid dripping from his wounds had taken a similar rout as the blood from her arm and had stained his short, white sleeves. It didn't appear to be a large quantity in which he had lost, but the rosy hue gained by the vines over time troubled her.

Morise wasn't doing so well either. The limb holding her up felt like a limp noodle, and she was beginning to notice black and purple spots in her vision.

It was then that something very crucial occurred to her.

_Wait! This is a dream, right? That means I'm going to wake up._ She swelled with relief until her attention swayed back to the small jester hanging by her side.

"sorry." she whispered so quietly that she doubted he could hear her.

This was a reality for him. The pain was real for him. He was the one in factual peril. Morisa gasped weakly as a little white ghost appeared in front of her and gently seized her free arm. Ren looked up, seeming to have been stirred by the sharp intake of air. His eye were dull, but he smiled weakly.

"It's an Awakener." He assured her, "Lucky."

Morisa disappeared with a look of regret on her face, leaving Renhet alone in the dark.

0-0-0-0-0

"REN! RENHET?" NiGHTS couldn't sit still. It had been hours now since their searching began and the terror he had begun to feel was overwhelming.

"Calm down, NiGHTS!" Owl hushed and joined the twitchy Nightmaren from his search below.

"How can I _calm down_? What if another Nightmaren got at him? WHAT IF HE GOT HURT OR− or−" NiGHTS nearly sobbed, clutching at his hat.

"Maybe you shouldn't have sent him out on his own with the new Visitor without supervision!" Owl scolded, "He is new to duelizing after all. Maybe they crashed, or−" He trailed off as NiGHTs' eyes widened in terror. Those were definitely a poor choice of words. "Uh− Well! I mean! Maybe they didn't!" Owl corrected himself quickly before the frantic mother could burst into tears.

Instead, the violet jester began to ascend even higher, "No, it's fine. I'm just going to search a little more on my own." That said, NiGHTS flew off, the old tears on his cheeks feeling cold as the wind hit them.

There was no way he could lose another.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **_**Reala's character's a ton of fun to play with. As well as Jackle because he's meant to be a nutcase. ;)This is a long chapter indeed and it won't be the last. Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**Chapter 5. **

Akila received her new garments the next morning.

_Finally._

Coget sighed when a knock at the door signaled the second-level messenger's arrival. Clothing didn't matter too much to most Nightmaren, as all of them were hermaphroditic and there wasn't anything exterior to conceal. However some individual's −like Coget− still felt uncomfortable with out _something _on. Shameful as it was to admit, considering her unabashed character.

In Akila's case, without any garments on she looked more pathetic then a Nightopian missing its wings. The little being wasn't just petite, she was frail looking too. Of course, one could see as useful when catching soft-hearted visitors off their guard, but within the castle walls it was as if her exposed figure wore a universal sign saying _Free Meat. _

Earlier that morning while they waited, Coget decided to test the little Nightmaren's strength by asking her to push against the extended fist she offered. Originally the idea was suggested to quell their rising boredom, as well as to clarify what her dependent was capable of.

Of course that was until her back had hit the floor.

Without a good brace, Aki was still able to force the other off the bed using only an average amount of vigor. The results were surprising to Coget and she hadn't seen it coming. If Akila's scrawny little arms weren't shaking due to the weakened state she was in, Coget assumed that they could very well be equals in strength. That, of course, was an estimate made by an inexperienced Nightmaren. However, it was a relief to know that Akila might stand a chance if ever faced with danger.

Now that the wait was over, it was time to get down to business. As Coget carried the various articles to the bed, Aki scrutinized them in a precautious manner from her seat. At first, Coget thought she might jump up and run so she pointed at the clothing and then her as if silently asking permission. When no negative reply came, the cloths were placed on the bed beside the smaller Nightmaren and Coget knelt down, beginning to work.

Over all, Akila accepted the other Nightmaren's assistance and the undershirt was effortlessly shoved over her shoulders. The vest and detached sleeves soon followed. After her oddly proportioned feet were booted, Coget's gaze glanced up at the hat lying on her mattress and then back at the ridiculously long hair draped about the round face looking down on her from above. Akila's eyes also darted to the hat, noticing the other's attention shifting. This all caused the larger of the two to hum.

"Maybe we should cut your hair, hun. I don't think it will fit." There was just no way that mass of purple and black would stay in place beneath the headwear unless tamed, however the repudiation Coget received right after speaking stunned her.

Akila let out a loud wail. Covering her head, she leaped from the mattress and ran for the farthest side of the room. From there, the smaller Nightmaren assaulted the other with large, pleading eyes and Coget winced away, hands raised.

"Okay, Okay! But Aki, we need to get that hat on somehow." Coget groaned, forcing her eye away from the heart-crushing look. "Trust me, I really don't wanna cut it either, I love your hair."

She then thought for a long moment. Maybe there was a way− _Oh!_

"I know!" Coget's abrupt movement caused Akila to jump for the nearest corner. In a split second her guradian was on the opposite side of the room and pressing her hand against the colourfuly stitched wallpaper. A brightly lit line drew itself into a rectangular shape, fading instantly after. The quadrilateral slid forward, revealing a drawer and immediately Coget began to rummage through it. Akila uncoiled from her safety corner and was able to get a few steps closer until her guardian pulled free two multi-coloured ribbons.

"Here we go!" Coget turned and was able to grab the little nightmare before any more absconding could be carried out. She tied Akila's hair into pigtails and laughed at how awkward it made her head look while pulled back. The shorter of the two frowned, causing her lip to protrude in a pout. The effect it gave transformed the laughing into high-pitched giggles. "Oh, none of that! It's cute! Now, for the hat!" Gasping for air, Coget shoved Akila's divided, and currently disciplined hair, into each of the dual-horns of the headwear and positioned everything snuggly into place.

A couple seconds later of silently examining her handwork and Coget volubly snorted. "You look like a feminized Reala."

Akila tilted her head in the most adorably clueless way at this statement and it made the other snigger loudly. Those expressions were going to kill her one day.

"Don't worry dear. The concept looks plenty better on you anyway." She tugged playfully at her protégé's purple and black stripped hat. Hell it even integrated the same cut and style as Reala's, but being a Nightmaren who considered needlework an art, it truly did look nice on her. At least the vest was original. The silver trimming along the edges really highlighted the collaged squares of crimson and violet quite well… Impressive indeed. It looked like Wiseman actually _cared_ to put effort into this one. _HAH!_ Man was he ever getting lazy these days.

She frowned when a sudden realization came to her and she mutely gasped. Nobody knew about Akila yet! Excitement rose in Coget like a oncoming tidal wave.

_Time to show off the newcomer!_ A smirk stretched the stitching along her mouth and Aki looked up at her peculiarly.

"Now that this battle's over with, let's grab some food!" Snatching the smaller Nightmaren's hand, she left the room in a hurry, barely remembering to seal ter door.

0-0-0-0-0

Akila had already gotten use to the sudden presence of a hand dragging her about. Her new guardian's room was quite spectacular sight to behold. Especially if you were awake enough to pay attention. Everything was covered in multi-coloured patchwork from the walls, to the furniture, even the ceiling was plastered with it.

The clothing Coget had dressed her in felt comfortable to say the least, but as soon as her hair became the topic on stage, she panicked. She couldn't really explain why, either vocally or psychologically, but she felt defensive over her hair. It was a part of her, and Akila shivered at the thought of chopping it off. Thankful for her new guardian's solution, she could live with it being tied back; however the restraining nature of the hat would take some getting use to. Why was it even necessary to wear? Akila continued to speculate wordlessly until Coget finally slowed. She hadn't even realized the pattering of feet or jumbling of voices until they had arrived at a large stone archway opening the left wall.

Coget flew casually through the arch and into an openly spaced room of colossal proportions.

Nightmaren of all ranks, sizes, colours and models littered the room like an overly stuffed school cafeteria. Which was quite ironic in a way, considering the long tables had been set up in rows and an identical surface piled with food lay against the most distant wall. Very few turned their heads as the pair entered, as most were deep within conversation, or did not have the required mental span to be interested.

A little disgruntled by this, Coget glanced down at her ward and wasn't surprised with what she saw. Said _ward's_ minuscule little body shrunk back against the chaos to hide behind her guardian. Akila's eyes widened almost comically so before darting about the room, definitely not sure what to make of it all. Even though her posture seemed overwhelmed, there was still a lick of astonished marvel in her eyes.

"WOAH! WISEMAN SHRUNK REALA!" Aki jumped like a frightened animal and huddled closer to Coget's boot when one of them took notice of her presence. This also alerted the rest of the table's occupants.

The same Nightmaren with a seemingly abhorrent voice rose quickly from his spot two tables away after speaking. It took a few very long seconds for him to untangle himself from his vibrant orange cape and− Akila blinked when he turned to face them. This one didn't _have_ a body. Coget giggled at the other as he approached. Apparently there seemed to be nothing afraid of.

"It's not Reala, Jackle-san! She's new!"

"REALLY?" His eyes were wide and attentive on their subject for a split second. Akila was just about to mirror him back. Maybe even stop hiding and get closer, or−

"That's weird." Jackle shrugged, dispassionately as if totally losing interest and turned to fly back toward the tables.

Aki tilted her head at this abrupt move and raised a brow.

_What an oddball._

They both drifted forward and followed _Jackle _back to his table and stood at the end of it.

"It looked way too delicate to be Reala anyway." Spoke one of the others present the table. The other two were thrice the height of Coget vertically and horizontally, both possessing the shapes of giant beach balls. One of them owned a large bust and bunny ears, while the other possessed clownish attire and wiry arms.

"Morning to you to, Donbalon-san. Puffy-san− Oh, where's the other−" Coget looked about them to locate a smaller 'Maren counterpart the size of a bizu-ball.

"Ah! There you are! I think you've almost doubled in size since that last time I saw you!" She grinned. It didn't seem to be paying attention to her. Instead he seemed intent to eyeing the figure clinging to her legs.

"Who's that?" It asked and pointed a chubby arm boldly in Akila's direction. This caused the new addition to wince and dig in her nails.

"Oh, this is Akila, Zabulon! I've just been assigned as her guardian until she grows!" The smaller ball paused in thought after Coget finished speaking, and appeared to be processing what he had heard. Eventually Zabulon spoke again, sounding irresolute when he did.

"So, you're not her mommy? Is she going to live in the ward with us?" This caused a sputter about the table consisting of choked on drinks, muffled gasps and amused snorts.

"N− no! Of course not! But, I will be taking care of her, uh…" Coget's face began to discolor as she looked off to the side, trying to hide her mortification. A mass of snickers erupted across the table. This seemed to completely unfazed the younger Nightmaren once more and he grinned gleefully at the other youngling, still shying herself away.

"Ok! Let's play!" he bounced around in excitement and Akila gasped, tensing up like a cat. Coget could feel the sharp little claws digging in again and she bent down to unlatch the other before she made any accidental holes.

After prying the little hands away she knelt fully and smiled at the nervous wreck. It looked like Akila was torn between fear and curiosity, concerning where this was all going. Coget decided it was time for a little encouragement.

"Go on Aki, have some fun! Loosen up a little, okay?" As gently as possible, she nudged her little protégé towards to other. Eventually they were running and bounced around the room. Akila didn't seem to know what was going on, but she seemed to enjoy the new aspect of _play_.

Coget sat with the rest of the group and began to replenish her energy levels. They spent a good twenty minutes chatting and gossiping like the bunch of human girls they weren't until Puffy sighed.

"The new addition should be nice for the Procreations in the ward." Coget munched on a piece of fruit, listening contently to Puffy as she spoke. "You said you found her, huh? What did Wiseman have to say about that?"

A swallow later and Coget paused before speaking, "Wiseman hadn't seen her before. I'm just happy he let me keep her."

"I'm _surprised_ he let you keep her. What are you, seven days old now?" She shot Donbalon a good natured glare and smacked his spherical side.

"What the hell does that matter? It's not hard to do! And she's an adorable little thing!"

"Yes, well _adorable_ isn't going to cut it if you want Wiseman to keep her around. I hope you're aware of that. Zabu's been contributing the hunts, even though he's one of the test subjects." The clown bit a large chunk out of whatever he was eating −Coget couldn't identify it from her viewpoint− and she hummed to herself as his words spurred a question from her.

"So, is the _experimenting_ going well on your end? I heard the other Procreation subjects are healthy." Was her new inquiry. The larger Nightmaren to looked down at her to respond.

"Yes, he's healthy, but we need to wait until he fully matures."

"I see."

A noticeable silence had occurred around the table, especially in Puffy's direction. Usually the more feminine ball of fun had issues keeping her gossip-hole shut, and this sudden change made the atmosphere queasy at best.

Coget's face split into a devious grin. _Time to change that!_

"So, how does it work then? The whole, _reproducing_ thing. I've been wondering." Both Puffy and Donbalon flinched simultaneously and it almost triggered Coget into dropping her innocent poker face. _'Cause like hell this is an IMPORTANT topic here!_

She almost snickered when Puffy's face began to diffidently brighten pink. "It's, quite an awkward subject to talk about." The second-level began− "I'M BAAAAAaaaaaaCK!"

Jackle rejoined the group. None of them had noticed his absence, and they all jumped after his abrupt entrance occurred. However when in most cases the majority would groan and hope that he would vanish again, the silence-slapping felt totally welcome after that gauche turn of discussion. "Oh, Yeah! GUESS WHO JUST ROLLED OUT OF HIS HOLE!?"

Sure enough, they all caught glimpses of Reala making his way toward the growing group. _Looking as _cheerful_ as usual. _Coget also noted when she caught a glimpse of his face. Sometimes she wondered if it was all a front he threw up so he could appear more menacing. But hey, who was she to argue. Getting him riled up was forming into an enjoyable hobby of hers.

"Morning, Ree-saaaan!" Coget beamed, purposely stretching out the 'A' in that accent she'd been programmed with by mistake. The desired effect was reached and his eye twitched. Yes, this was going to be a beautiful morning indeed.

"Oh, don't _Good Morning_ me. I went to your dorm to look for you but you were already gone."

Akila paused in her playing, when she heard the familiar voice and looked back over at the table. She'd been having so much fun everything had been tuned out around her. As soon as her eyes caught the sight of the red and black first-level. Her face lit up like a bulb and she ran towards them.

"Reala-san!" She called out and waved her small hand above her to catch his attention.

He froze.

They froze.

And Coget's visible eye nearly popped out of her face.

Reala stared down the approaching figure as if it were their Lord and all knowing Master prancing about the room in lingerie. It looked like he was about to say something, but instead shut his mouth. The same process was preformed twice, then three times, until Akila stood only a meter away beaming up at him. The long silence officially ending after Reala's eyes darted to Coget's in a cold glare.

"So I'm guessing you're behind this, hm? Well isn't that a mature little speech quirk." Coget flinched hearing the frigid snarl he produced and returned a timid smile. Reala continued to glower at her, his expression becoming darker by the second.

_Okay, maybe today isn't a good day to test his limits too far. _

"I guess she's picked that up from me, huh?" An anxious chuckle managed to leave her, "Would you rather her call you _sama_, or _dono_?−"

"I'd rather she'd call me neither!"

"Reala-sama?" Akila cocked her head to the side as she gazed up at them. This effectively interrupted the argument and both of the higher levels looked down at her.

Coget snickered, "Apparently she's made the decision for you."

Reala responded with an irritated growl and crossed his arms. If it were possible for him to shoot beams of death out of his eyes, both Aki and she would have been vaporized by now. "Alright then. I'd rather get down to business so I can leave this juvenile hell-hole. I've been instructed to take Akila with me on a little scouting mission. Alone."

"Wait− already?" _Alone? Wait…_ "Really, now? A _scouting_ mission?" She narrowed her eye right back at him and he seemed to catch on to her qualms. An irritated sigh later and the general snarled.

"Eldamara caught something quite significant. Master Wiseman ordered me to take a look-see at her trial run and report. While I would rather take care of this matter on my own, seeing as it would be _a lot _faster, he insisted I took the_… new recruit_."

Boy, did he _ever_ appear _delighted_. A huff signaling acquiescence left the guardian and she peered down at the little 'Maren gazing up at them. It looked like she was trying to grasp their conversation, but with no luck however.

"Akila? You heard him right? You're going to go on a trial run with Reala-_sama_. Okay?"A giggle almost escaped her after hearing a warning growl from the other Nightmaren after emphasizing the _'sama'_. After a few moments of comprehending her words, Aki nodded in reply and clutched Reala's hand.

He visibly shuddered, clear disgust showing across his facade. Coget caught the sound of Donbalon snorting gleefully at this while the others remained silent. _Even Jackle_. Well that one blew her mind.

Noticing everyone staring at the horrific hand-holding gesture, Reala could feel his dignity pirouette obscenely and fall into a nosedive.

"C−come with me then." He dashed out of the mess hall stiffly, pulling Akila in tow. It felt like everyone in the room was watching as he left. And they were.

Puffy snickered the moment he shot around the archway and out of sight. "Well, that was a delicious blow to his pride. I quite enjoyed that." Coget and Donbalon chuckled heartily, fully agreeing.

A minute or so later Jackle burst out into hysterical cackles, causing the whole room to turn and stare "HAHAH! IT'S LIKE _MINI-ME and DR. EVIL_!" He collapsed forward onto the table banging against the surface with his fist like the madman he was. Of course, none knew what he spoke of or really cared to listen. Who ever paid attention to the crazy ones?

0-0-0-0-0

Wiseman Knew. And now he was clearly goading him. The first time this morning he laid eyes on their little 'discovery' from the night before, her new physical appearance had him biting holes through his tongue. _Literally._ He could taste the bleeding. Oh yes, the master _had_ gotten him good. _The bastard! Might as well make her wear a sign saying 'Look! Reala, your superior just royally fucked up and created a tiny monstrosity CLONE of himself!' Fantastic._ This must have been a new form of punishment to make up for his past _many_ failures. Why couldn't Wiseman's retribution just remain in the form of Coget's existence? This was just overkill.

Oh, and to top it off. The little soul-termite was already beginning to inherit bad speech habits. Courtesy of his new hunting partner of course.

Reala began to slow down, seeing as he was still flying aimlessly through the halls it seemed, and came to a halt. He dreaded the thought of ever having to eat again after that embarrassing incident earlier.

This kid was so damn touchy-feely.

"Let's get this over with." He grumbled, more to himself then anything, and lifted his hand. Finding the right energy partials he began to draw a portal opening. Akila watched in awe as the air seemed to warp about his hand before the appendage began a dark red trail.

All too quickly the beginning and end of the line connected as he drew a fair sized circle and the center fill in opaque. A murky window of trees and overgrown shrubbery appeared in the slate, perking the younger 'Maren's interest.

Aki released the hand she was grasping and tried to examine the portal closer. Reala grabbed her arm before she could get much of a good observation and he harrumphed, "Trust me. You are going to be seeing a lot of these in the near future. Now stop wasting time and let's go." That said, he launched himself into the portal with Akila in tow once more and a startled yelp escaped her lips before the door closed behind them.

0-0-0

Akila opened her eyes, realizing she had shut them after being pulled through. She squinted when the natural light of the outdoors greeted her, glancing around in astonishment. The picture that she saw in the portal was where they now stood. Or, she did anyway. Her superior hovered a few feet above her, as most of the Nightmaren did.

"Now first of all, before we do anything you need to be able to fly." Reala stated, his back facing away as he spoke. He turned to look down at her and Akila nodded to affirm she understood. Being dragged everywhere wasn't ideal in her circumstances. "So I'll ask you only one question then. Do you wish to fly?"

She nodded again, a wave of excitement hit her and she smiled. Her smile dropped though after no longer feeling the ground under her feet. Clearly surprised by this, she flailed and almost hit the ground again. Quickly catching her balance, she giggled softly and surveyed the familiar red sparkles falling from her hands.

"Fast learner, aren't you?" A smile twitched at his lips, maybe today wouldn't go as slowly as he previously presumed. "You're able to fly only if you wish to. That's the end of lesson one." Now that Akila and he were alone, her presence no longer felt as agitating. Maybe it was because she wasn't able to jabber his ears off. Or that she was catching on to the ropes a lot faster then Reala anticipated for over one night.

Exhaling a soft sigh, Reala began to look around; trying to decipher which way was the correct route. Eventually he spotted a familiar mark on one of the nearby trees, branding it as the crossing point into Eldamara's territory. "Hopefully the fly trap's caught more then just a fly, otherwise our being here will be pointless."

They flew deeper into the woods. Reala, being the _oh so kind_ spirit he was, managed to catch Akila a couple times before she could hit the ground. The newbie still had much to learn, but it was a good start.

"Now." He said, brushing aside a few branches, "You need to be careful around this Nightmaren. If you get caught by it, don't struggle or else it will absorb your energy faster." The instructions may have been vague, but Akila listened attentively.

Not two seconds later they approached a dark bushy wall. And by dark, it meant the leaves didn't look natural. The coloration was off and held an odd shade of navy blue with its evergreen-coated veins. That, and the bush was also thick, like a wall of concrete hedges shielding all who looked beyond.

"Oh, and make sure you move slowly and silently. If it senses you it _will_ grab you." Reala added in an airy tone before disappearing into the hedge. Akila hovered there for a few moments, attempting to grasp the meaning of his words and not succeeding. Eventually she followed, pushed her way in, hoping whatever warning he gave her wouldn't matter much on the opposite side.

The wall of leaves must have been at least two meters thick. The closely woven twigs kept catching onto her uniform and scraping along her bare legs and arms. She even got trapped a couple of times, but eventually her hands parted the other side.

What meet Akila on that opposite side of the hedge made her freeze before fully emerging from the barrier she struggled through.

The surrounding trees were dead. No life graced the forest floor, leaving everything barren and inert. Well, if you didn't count the vines. And there were tons of those constricting around the trees and littering the ground like cleverly disguised snakes.

Akila gulped as an uneasy feeling swept over her. They were still, but she had a foreboding sense that they weren't what they appeared.

Reala sat on a stripped branch a few meters away. When she noticed this he brought single claw up to his lips as a clear signal. "_Quietly now. You search that area over there,_" He pointed to a section of forest behind her and continued to whisper. "_I'll cover this side."_ Reala left his perch and climbed higher into the air with barely a sound. He shot off toward his search quadrant leaving Akila to fend on her own.

She turned about face and headed off in the opposite direction. At this point in time she was beginning to think Reala-sama didn't approve of her presence at all. Actually, some very obvious hints had been dropped now that she thought about it, but it took her a while to grasp the hostile messages as _being_ antagonistic.

Coget was a friendly presence, comforting, lively and confident. She gave off a pleasant aura that embraced, and cared, and the familiarity of it was welcoming.

Reala on the other hand was a whole new story. Since first laying eyes on the powerful figure, Aki felt that some sort of connection had been sparked. Was it an impression of trust she felt for him? Maybe it was because his presence felt recognizable to her? She wasn't sure what to think after all, everything had been disorienting for her since they'd first woken her up.

Her mind felt heavy, empty, but some how thought would still come to her. She could still form words on her tongue, but the insecurity of them not being correct silenced her. Some words and sentences spoken would make sense to her, and others didn't register at all. Akila tried though. She'd been trying her hardest since Coget had taken her under her wing, but with barely any result.

A vine twitched beneath her and it caught the corner of her eye. She gasped, freezing in mid flight. _Am I seeing things?_ She wondered but something else occurred to her. Akila hadn't been informed what structure this Nightmaren took. _What if− _Aki silenced her mind before it could get too far. She needed to move on, being that she'd barely started her search.

A few minutes passed and nothing turned up until a flash of complementary colour caught her attention after her third sweep. Something red could be seen within the small side clearing on her left. An excited smile curled at her lips and she took off in its direction, forgetting about stealth along the way.

Whatever it was, it was being sheltered by the leaves quite well. After gaining full sight of what it was she halted.

Another Nightmaren her size and build hung from a pair of familiar vegetation, but she paid the bindings no interest of mind. Instead she came close to it, looking it over. With a gentle hand, she reached forward and brushed two of her claws along its cheek. Not expecting any reaction, she retreated a few feet like a frightened animal when the touch brought forth a subtle moan.

Akila tensed herself and watched, fascinated as his eyes fluttered weakly for a few seconds before falling shut again. They were the same cool colour as Reala's, and Akila stared in awe when the comparison clicked.

Maybe she should locate Reala and get him to take a look? Maybe she'd be praised for finding whatever it was. Pride welled up in her and she giggled. Maybe she would!

Twigs snapped.

Aki froze where she drifted and clamped her mouth. Listening quietly she heard it again. Something was moving again. Her eyes darted about the bush, looking for any other signs of motion.

A thick appendage shot out from behind her and snatched Akila around the middle squeezing a sharp yelp out of her. She stopped moving when the thorns along the appendage cleaved into wherever they met skin.

"Reala-sama!" She managed to yell, though it did trigger more of the vines into action. She shouted out again only louder this time with a sinking feeling he wouldn't show. To her surprise however she spotted him below performing a double take toward her direction. After this out of place gesture he continued to look up at her with an expression multifariously unreadable. She almost began to wonder why he was taking so long, before he tilted his head to the side and exhaled heavily.

Relief flooded her when he finally flew up to her level. Reala's gaze raked the other figure silently, almost fearfully if studied close enough, but eventually he looked away as if denying the unknown Nightmaren's presence. Finally he spoke, his tone more deadpanned then usual.

"I'm going to flash some light at it, when it lets go, grab the body when it falls." All she could manage was a nod without disturbing her captor's further.

Reala backed away a few meters, cautiously watching where he flew in case of being discovered by the second-level. He then preformed an action Akila had witnessed earlier in the day with his hands and a small circle opened mid air. A startling light shot out through the window which led to some unidentified location.

The beam swathed both the small Nightmaren and vegetation instantly bringing fourth a reaction. An echoing shriek clearly inhuman bellowed around the clearing from wherever the host of the vines resided and every single warped appendage in their sight gave a sickening jolt before wilting.

Half blinded by the extremities of the light, Akila jumped for the body as soon the vines let lose. She managed to grab hold of something as she dropped, and it was weightless enough for her to confirm what it was. Not noticing how close to the ground she was getting, Akila met the earth harshly, half landing on the other in her hold.

Reala flew down to them after he resealed the portal.

"Let's get moving." He told her, sharply enough to sound insistent. She looked down at the mysterious figure near her feet then back up at him in question. Reala returned the look to her, the expression in his eyes telling her more then first expected. He understood.

"He's too far gone." It wasn't an apology but the odd sincerity, as out of place as it was, held more then enough thought. Akila took one last glance at the Nightmaren duplicate, and then nodded her head, signaling her consent to leave.

They departed the enclosure known as Eldamara's lair, Akila leaving the area first. Reala looked back at the body for a few moments longer before following.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: _Here! have another two chapters. I'm thoroughly enjoying myself right now. :) _**

* * *

**Chapter 6. **

The search lasted the entire night and NiGHTS had begun to fear the worst. Owl would appear and disappear from his side periodically to broaden covered area. It was in situations like these that teleportation came in handy. Every time the bird reappeared without news however was another thread snapping away at the mother's sanity.

Finally, as the first instigations of a new day in the Night-realm became noticeable, he reappeared with news.

"Hoo! NiGHTS! I found something you might want to take a look at." Owl flapped madly in circles about the other, before being forced to a halt by the Nightmaren's hands. "I noticed a strange forest has appeared near the gate!"

"A forest?" A veil of uncertainty and discouraged worry briefly overtook NiGHTS before it all became ire, "Do you think it's Wiseman's doing?"

"It looks dark enough to be so." Owl muttered, also becoming quite cross with the events taking place, "When I discovered it I must have flown through a cloaking barrier of some kind. It suddenly appeared before me. They must have gone through it as well and discovered it− and knowing Renhet's compulsive behavior− Well. He probably got them both lost. The visitor must have left him on his own after waking up. Or−" The bird trailed off after eyeing the expression on the jester's face, which firmly told him to clamp his beak. It was a strange sight seeing the carefree Nightmaren so worked up.

NiGHTS nodded, still eyeballing the owl darkly, "Well the for god's sake Owl, show me! If Wiseman's rediscovered us then we _really_ need to find him!" Said bird hooted, returning the nod before darting off with NiGHTS in hot pursuit.

0-0-0

"This is definitely Wiseman's work." NiGHTS loathed to confirm it, but there just weren't any doubts as soon as they passed the cloak.

It was clear something lurked beyond the trees, and the jester could feel it. _Why the hell would Wiseman want to be posting a Second-Level here? This isn't a Nightopia, let alone anywhere near a visitor that could happen to cross it. Well, unless they did some _serious_ exploring._ NiGHTS hummed to himself thoughtfully, visibly perturbed by what sat ahead. Owl, did not seem too surprised by NiGHTS' lack of hasty engagement. Odd as that was.

"This doesn't make any sense." He murmured.

"I've noticed. Even if this is just a trial run, why would he−" A grunt of exasperation came from Nightmaren, leaving his sentence hanging unfinished. "Less talk! If Ren's in there then I shouldn't be giving a shit about the details!"

Owl, being too afraid to reapproach the forest again didn't bother to interfere when the violet jester rocketed into the bush using a single dash.

0-0-0

It was dark, difficult to maneuver, and unnaturally still. To make all that even more discouraging the atmosphere felt relentlessly claustrophobic. Mashing all of the above together had NiGHTS just twitching for the open air.

But no, he was there for a reason no matter how sinister the surrounding vegetation looked. _Wait._ The Nightmaren paused after spying the oddly discolored wall of leaves coming up to meet him.

"That doesn't look like it should belong there." He mumbled to himself and cautiously approached it. Now within arm's distance NiGHTS looked it over. The forest may not have looked natural, however this hedge was a different story all together.

Examining it for any openings he rose higher up to possibly peer over the− oh, no such openings existed up there. _Of course._

A familiar colour caught his roaming eyes and without any precautious thought he dashed over to the far left, hand extended. In the next second, a scrap of brightly coloured material was snatched off the fine twigs along the ominous wall. How ironic was it that Ren wore complementary colours to his surroundings? It wasn't exclusively irony and the violet jester was aware. NiGHTS forced a small smile, even though the situation was so dire. _That idea was certainly a good one. _

"You must be in there, huh. You better be." Through with monologuing, he sharply inhaled before wedging his way into bush.

Attempting to be as quiet as possible proved to be quite a feat. The last thing NiGHTS wanted was to be rediscovered if Wiseman was watching. Of course to his dismay, by the time he broke through the other side NiGHTS could have sworn he had woken the far reaches of both Nightmare _and_ Nightopia together. _Figures._ Fortunately where he entered the clearing he discovered his objective right away. What he saw made him stutter.

"R− Ren?" Instantly the worried mother was at his side on the ground floor. To the Nightmaren's horror, half of the youngling had already been dispersed up to the waist.

NiGHTS clutched the gem on his chest, before looking down at it attentively.

"Please have enough power to do this." He begged.

That said, NiGHTS placed his other hand over Renhet's chest, or what was left of him anyway, and focused the Ideya's energy −as well as his own− into the little body below.

By the time Renhet was whole again, NiGHTS had drained a good chunk of power and instantly began to feel the effects. As a reward however Ren's eyes flickered open and squinted at him before closing and repeating the process. A weak moan from the body in his arms made NiGHTS sigh contently.

"m−mum?" Ren croaked. The larger of the two jester's picked up the younger and hushed him before whispering.

"Save your energy, love. Let's get you home."

All definitions of colour had been drained from both of their faces, and it took all of NiGHTS' willpower to not fall into unconsciousness within the Second-Level's territory. It was a miracle enough that they escaped unnoticed. NiGHTS couldn't hover off the ground, let alone fly them out. So he made his way by foot until the gate was reached.

0-0-0

When they finally arrived there on foot, day in the dream realm was almost at a close.

"Oh thank goodness! Hoo!" Owl flew over to them from the fountain as NiGHTS approached, carrying a very much cataleptic Renhet. He slumped down on the cobblestone, leaning back against the fountain after rearranging the other in his lap. Catching sight of the Nightmaren's face his voice lowered. "Oh my, you don't look so well." Owl remarked, landing on the rim of the basin.

"It's fine." The jester sighed in reply, "Just− tired…" The bird cocked his head to the left before regarding the other. When he noticed NiGHTS had fallen asleep mid-sentence, Owl smiled the best he could manage with a beak and flew off to leave them in peace.

0-0-0-0-0

A couple nights later, Morisa appeared once more at the Dreamgate. She was skittish, as if it were her first day there all over again. Her attention glued itself to the skies watching for any sign of movement.

"Welcome back." Owl appeared beside at her side and she leaped right into a wordy ramble.

"Is Ren okay? Did you guys find him? He's not−"

"Calm yourself, child! Goodness! NiGHTS found him, and he's mostly recovered. Actually he just woke up a couple nights ago−" "Really?! _Oh_ thank _GOD_." Morisa visibly slumped, breathing out a loud sigh.

Owl, just as relieved as the girl it seemed, let out a questionable hoot, and began to take a more serious turn on the subject.

"I hope you can explain what occurred my dear. He won't speak a word what−"

"Yeah, I'm not surprised." She interrupted, and the Owl let out another surprised hoot after noticing the bitterness in her voice. "Ren decided to go exploring in the woods even after I warned him not to. He left me alone and I heard him screaming. So I went in after him and−"

"Oh shut up! If she's blaming all this on ME, Owl, then she's lying!" A very insipid looking Renhet walked up to them. Glaring up at the two, he huffed coldly and crossed his arms over his chest.

The owl regarded him haughtily ruffling his feathers with a humph. "Doubtful. I'm taking the girls word."

Throughout all this, Morisa fought back the wild laughter trying to win her over as she looked down at the red jester. He looked like a toy standing there in all his miniscule glory.

Opps, she let that one slip.

Unfortunately the giggle didn't go unnoticed and Ren was instantly upon her with verbal harm intended. "What're _you_ laughing at cry-baby!" He roared up at her and instantly Morisa erupted with mirth.

Ren gaped at her for a short moment before the anger began to set in once more. "WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING? ARE YOU RETARDED OR SOMETHING? _SERIOUSLY STOP!_" Finally the girl began to trail off and she scrubbed the tears out of her eyes, trying to locate her voice again.

"I− hah!− you so−" She wheezed, "So− _TINY!_−" Morisa giggled again for a few seconds and eventually she just couldn't laugh any longer. She lapsed in to some broken Japanese for another moment before adding, "Ren-kun really eight?− look _one!"_

Expecting to see an enraged mini jester about to pounce her, she did not foresee the horrified stare sent her way. After gawking at her for the next few uncomfortable seconds, Renhet's jaw clamped shut and reopened to speak.

"Woah. I can't believe I actually understood some of that…" He deadpanned and she snorted, not fully understanding what his word's either. That expression of his sure had been priceless though.

"I'm getting lessons!" She giggled, not knowing the translation for the sentence she swapped back over to native tongue.

A mixture of emotions crossed Ren's face before his next response. The first of that being confusion and the next being frustration. "Wait, what?− Augh! Stop SWITCHING you're making my head hurt!" He groaned, clutching at his noggin to emphasize the point.

"Hoo. You know aren't supposed to be walking around." Owl scolded noticing the other's discomfort and the slight sway his little body unintentionally preformed.

Renhet scowled towards the bird, "Too boring. Sorry."

By the way he stood, Morisa took note of the willpower he displayed to keep himself that way. She hadn't noticed this before and the guilt began to jeer at her. Another stern voice joined in with the owl causing the girl to look up.

"Ren, if you fall over I won't be there to catch you again." NiGHTS flew down from one of the trees. His face still looked a tad sallow, but his ability to fly had returned.

To this, NiGHTS received a drawn out groan, "I WON'T mum!−"

"Oh yes you will. Especially in THAT condition."

"I'm not flying! I can't really anyway. And Morisa won't wanna, she's too chicken."

_"Renhet!"_

The mother snarled at his son and a glare-down began between the two.

Both Owl and Morisa stood on the sidelines. The girl, frightened by this display from the usually buoyant NiGHTS held her breath until one of them spoke again.

"_Go."_

Before Morisa could process what NiGHTS barked, she was being hauled off by a very persistent Renhet at the wrist.

His feet had left the ground, yet not as far as she desired. Her back hunched over while he tugged her along.

All the while, between trying to keep her footing, Morisa's attention drew toward to the hand firmly gripping her. A series of jagged scars danced along the previously unmarred skin. With each line her sight traced, a familiar sickening feeling began to seep back into her stomach. She stole a wondering glance at the twin hand swinging too and fro at Ren's other side. Unfortunately it suffered the same treatment. Not realizing how much she had spaced out, her wrist being squeezed accompanied with the jester's voice zapped her back to awareness.

"What?"

Morisa looked up to see Ren staring back at her while he pulled. Before she could answer him a look of pain flashed over his features. He grunted slightly and slowed to a stop, releasing her hand.

"Daijoubu? Oh− um. You, o−kay?" Her tongue fumbled over itself while Ren's feet re-met with the ground. With a graceful flop, his back-end joined his feet and then he was lying in the grass not far from her shoes, seemingly out of breath.

"Y− yeah..." he gasped, shooting her a double take, "Huh? _Argh!_ Stop doing that!"

_Stop doing WHAT? She HAD tried to translated herself right?_ Morisa's cheeks puffed out into a scowl.

"I learning!"

"You mean _I'M_." He corrected, a mocking grin tugging at his lips and the girl hissed in a breath before shouting.

"I'M _LEARNING_!"

Her tongue jutted out of her mouth obscenely and the fool mirrored her.

The Visitor dropped into a swiftly performed crisscross at his side, back facing away from the jerk. The hill she'd been dragged over to was peaceful and it overlooked the abyss of nothing which the world hovered over. Morisa heard him sit up, but still avoided looking his way.

They both remained that way. Silent.

It felt like forever, and then some, had passed before Morisa was itching to break the silence, even though it had only been minutes.

_How do you say 'apologize' in English again? _

Her lower lip jutted out before her teeth caught it and pulled it back in. _It started with a 'So', right? _Venting harshly her nails dug moon shaped crescents into her knees. _Oh well. Might as well say something._ Mind made up, she turned her head before blurting.

"Gomenasai!" "Sorry!"

They both froze after coming face to face with one another. Ren's cheeks tinted, clear bewilderment showing in his eyes at how timed their outburst was. Morisa lapsed into giggles and her whole body tilted to the side, all of the previous tension leaving her joints.

A gasp for air later and Morisa was correcting herself. "Sorry."

"Y−yeah..." Ren's smile looked delayed for a moment before he showed a nervous display of sharp teeth. The jester held out his hand with a simple, one worded request. "Dualize?"

The girl winced, clearly knowing that word's meaning. "NiGHTS." Morisa warned, flashing him wary eyes. Renhet shrugged his shoulders, indifferent.

She nodded, brows still creased from the look she still gave him. Eventually the girl frowned, looking more anxious then naught."No fly?"

"Nope." His smiled took on a warmer undertone she hadn't been gifted with seeing before and her resolve softened. Morisa reached out to touch his hand until it only appeared that one body was left sitting on the hill.

~It's just a lot easier to talk this way.~ He confessed with a sigh. The girl hummed in agreement.

~True. So, um. Friends?~

~Sure.~ His smiled still held its temperate qualities, and it warmed Morisa to witness it. That was, until it faded back to his trickster's mug. ~I still think you're a wuss though.~ She glared at this declaration.

~And I still think you're an idiot.~ He ignored her, but something was beginning to tell Morisa this was just his way of showing affection.

_What a weirdo_.

The girl smirked to herself after receiving similar thoughts back from his mind. It was a long while before either of them spoke again. Instead they merely began to dodge around the subject of it. Mostly emotion and thought went into the quiet exchange.

~I think you're the first friend I've ever had after I've moved. No one seems to like me at school.~ Morisa admitted softly. Ren remained unresponsive for a long moment, his mind buzzing with unspoken question.

~Really?~ He paused, to gather his thoughts. ~You're the forth person I've ever talked to, and that's including Mum and Owl. Oh! And by the way, stop calling mum a _she_. Cause he's not.~ Morisa blinked.

~Huh? But− boys can't−~

~We aren't boys either, we're−~ Renhet paused to tap at his mouth, ~Well, _Its. _We're girl remained oblivious and he sighed. ~Just− call him _he_ from now on. Okay?~

~Alright?...~ It was a strange request, but she wouldn't question it. And, _it_? Better to leave that for another day.

It was then that she caught on to something else he said.

~Woah! Really? Only _four_ people?~ Morisa gawked. Was it really so hard to believe though? The guy's people skills weren't totally approachable by any means. Renhet almost sounded ashamed when he said it.

~Yeah. Well, if you don't count the Nightopian's that is. But they don't really talk, they just− _squeal_.~ He trailed off after a ripple of confusion leaked through the bond.

~Nightopians?~

His sudden realization startled Morise and her heart jumped.

~_Oh right!_ You don't have a Nightopia!~ He exclaimed, ~If you have an Ideya then a paradise will appear!~

~Ideya?~ She threw some more question marks at him, inquisitive to where this was going.

~They're like, little sparks of light.~ Boy, wasn't that vague. Morisa sent the following message his way and he grunted her off. ~Hey! I haven't actually seen a full one. Mum has a shard in her chest though. It's pretty cool!~

Morisa thought back to what he meant and perked up. ~You mean that red crystal?~

~Yep! The Ideya of Courage.~

~Cool.~

A few hours passed by as they talked about Nightopia and Ideya. Apparently visitors didn't come by the gate very often. If you did, then there was a good chance you still had one of your Ideya left.

Morisa had a sense that Renhet was dodging some topics. Like, _how do Visitors lose their Ideya? Or, how come there's only you and your Mum? Oh and Owl of course._ Man was he ever evading those questions. It disturbed her a little.

It wasn't until he started asking the wrong questions that she felt like returning the mistrust.

~Uh, hey Mori'? How come you don't like flying?" Her mouth sealed itself shut on its own accord and a shiver crawled up her spine.

~Hellllooooo?~

Still no answer could be ushered out.

If he wasn't going to answer her questions, then she wasn't going to answer his.

A white ghost of sorts popped into being at her side. Morisa couldn't have been more thankful as his prying kept on growing more insistent.

~Oh! An Awakener!~ Before Ren could get another word in, Morisa had already materialized into her singular form. She stood in front of him and turned to wave, fake smile as clear as day. His hand began to extend toward her before she faded to nothing.

Renhet sat there for a little longer, not sure what to make of what just happened. Now he was determined to know, even if it killed him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: _This chapter really explains what the hell's going on with the whole Procreation hullabaloo. 5 more chapters to go for the prologue! Damn that was fast. _**

* * *

**Chapter 7.**

"_**Reala, approach." **_He did just as instructed before kneeling. The call for him had been instantaneous upon both Akila's and his return.

As soon as he picked up the telepathic memo, Reala couldn't help but dread the reason why. Oh, and he was asked to come alone too if that wasn't alarming enough. Considering his previous experience's with failure, all of this was pointing to a bad sign.

"_**Tell me… Why is it that you were not present during the demonstration of Cogets' new ward. I am aware that you took a part in her… **_**discovery."**

_Oh shit. _This was _exactly_ what he feared it would be. The eyes above were beginning to close in and Reala's chest constricted.

"I− wanted nothing to do with that vermin master. However Coget insisted we bring it back."

"_**As I have informed your new partner, it is not a creation of my own. It does not respond when I summon it. Just as the other procreations." **_Reala remained silent toward this.

The rule with Wiseman was to not speak unless spoken to. Especially so if you were at the rotten end of the stick.

"_**And her resemblance to you. It poses many questions. Explain to me why that is, First-level."**_ Realizing it was his turn to respond, Reala jumped right into action. Whether it was out of fear, or sudden burst of courage, he honestly couldn't tell.

"It was a mistake, Master Wiseman. I was not aware _this_ would be a possible outcome−"

"_**And the other creator?"**_

He froze. This was the part he had been fearing the most. Not receiving an answer, Wiseman retracted his hands with a hum._**"Then it is what I suspected… How long ago was this little, convening?"**_

"I− well possibly seven or eight years?"

"_**I see… NiGHTS still has not been spotted for quite some time."**_

"Master?"

A few of the hands swiveled about the room, seeming to have nothing better to do even though they were in full control by the god. Reala gulped. What the hell was the master plotting?

"_**Reala." **_Startled out of his reverie, he was quick to respond.

If the master was planning to kill them both he'd done a damn good job hiding it so far.

"Yes, Master."

"_**This, Akila, possesses potential. I will accept her into the ranks as long as she proves her worth to me. You will not reveal her origins to her or anyone. No one shall mention the name NiGHTS to her. She will never know. Understood?" **_

Reala's mind figuratively stopped. _Wait, what?_

"Master, are you suggesting−"

"_**You heard my orders, Reala. Nightmaren have begun to breed as we are aware. I do not posses a mental hold on the current second-level test subjects, which means that when the army grows, I will not posses full control. I will accept this **_**accident**_** as merely a service to our cause. If the discovery of her origins is made, then treachery could be imminent. If I must end her out of insubordination, then you're head will follow. Dismissed."**_

0-0-0-0-0

"How'd it go?"

Reala would have flown by the two if it weren't for Coget who spoke up.

"Fine." He stated, slowing to a stop.

"You showed Aki how to fly, hm? Kind of you." She indicated to the levitating 'Maren at her side. Akila smiled, nodding twice. "So what what'd you find?"

"A few 'Pian's got lost. Nothing too glamorous." Aki flashed him a puzzled look.

_Thank god she can't speak yet._ Reala sighed to himself and Coget raised an inquisitive brow.

"Ok then." She didn't appear at all that convinced, but to his relief she let it go. "Let's head out Aki." She grabbed the little Nightmaren's hand and took off down the hall, leaving the other where he stood. Akila glanced over her shoulder catching a glimpse of the red jester before they turned the corner.

Coget let out a huff after they were good few corridors away and slowed to a leisurely pace.

"He's been acting strange lately. I'm really started to wonder why." She gazed down at Akila and she returned the look. If it wasn't so obvious that his problem revolved around Akila then she would have just brushed it off as nothing. However… The first-level's eyes narrowed without her protégé's notice.

_Ill have to speak with him later._

For now however she had to deal with introducing Akila to the procreations on board. Due to her size and mental standings, Wiseman had made it clear that she would stay with them.

There were fourteen of them so far. All second-level mixes of those who volunteered for the project. This particular project was longstanding and had been going on for a while now. No one knew what Wiseman's motivations were to allow such a thing, but rumors went around stating that the master had grown weaker over the many centuries and that he could not produce as many Nightmaren as he once use to. Other assumptions still stood.

When they reached the far side of the castle structure they came face to face with a large door muffling a ton of racket emanating from the other side. Akila gazed up at it, then back over at her guardian. Coget smiled and unlocked the door with her energy signature.

The noise increased ten-fold when the door swung open but it slowly tapered to silence. Akila regarded the occupants of the large, colourful room.

The Nightmaren who resided here were of all sizes, possessing similar appearances to various larger Nightmaren which she had seen in the mess hall.

One of them was recognized instantly as Zabulon and he grinned welcomingly at her. A few bouncing vibrations shook the very air around them and Puffy peered around one of the corners, immediately smiling at the arrivals.

"Oh, there you two are. I was wondering when you'd get here." She sang out in the tenor she was known for.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Coget smiled, shaking off the tease. She then directed her attention to the procreations staring at them from around the room." Listen up everyone! I'd like to introduce you to your new roommate, Akila. Her memory has been wiped in an accident and she is currently relearning to speak. So play nice kids, or I'll lock you to your beds." Of course, most of this was said in a light, airy tone, but the last line held an edge which was there enough for the younglings to notice.

They all nodded, in an offbeat rhythm. Some mumbled little '_yes ma'am's'_ and others remained quiet. A quite a few of them shot some particularly nasty looks at Akila, but masked them well.

Aki looked around at all of the new faces, not sure what to make of it all and before she knew it, she was shrinking from her higher altitude to conceal herself behind Coget's back.

There were way too many eyes on her. It was _very _uncomfortable.

"I'm going to have to go now. Puffy, can you take care of things here for me please?"

"That's what I've been assigned." The large ball reluctantly huffed.

Akila glanced at Coget from her position and her guardian noticed the terror on her ward's face.

"Aki, it's alright. You know someone here, right? They aren't so bad. Trust me, okay?" A few long seconds staring at each other and Akila drew back, crestfallen. It looked like she wasn't going to win this one.

Coget's luck arrived at her side when Zabu began to usher Aki over and she followed through with his request.

With one last goodbye for the moment, Coget smiled and waved while leaving the room.

Now it was the time to hunt her partner down.

0-0-0-0-0

Coget made a beeline for Reala's quarters. This could be the only chance she got to find out just what the hell was going on.

"Reala-san?" She stoutly knocked on his door. The hollowed bangs shook the wood before it opened a small crack. A flash of red appeared and the door swung open.

"What do you want?" He grumbled.

_Well excuse me. _Coget returned his scowl.

"I want to talk to you about something." Noting the visible stiffening of the others figure she frowned. For gods sake he was fidgeting, and Reala simply wasn't the type to fidget.

"And?" The red 'Maren nudged on.

_He's definitely going to shoot me if I beat around the bush. _She prepared herself to shove an ankle between the door. _Now or never._

"It's about Akila, what are you hiding?" She inquired bluntly, calmly and with an expression which spoke _'I'm on to you'_.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." His expression remained vacant. Damn, could he _ever_ hold that poker face. Hers had already begun to slip.

"Yes you do. A few Nightopian? HAH! You _certainly_ made _that_ sound convincing. Oh, _and_ I have been wondering something for a while." She scoffed, making sure to slather every word with derision. "Is there a certain reason why you and her look so simal−"

The door nearly hit her in the face when it slammed shut. Realizing what had just occurred she cursed raucously.

_Shit! I forgot to use my foot!_

"REALA!" She roared, "Open the door!" Of course, he wouldn't. Her suspicions had been confirmed so far. Now was the time to play the game in a way her partner would understand. "If you don't open up, I've heard some interesting gossip about you from a couple of sources of mine! Maybe the next time I'm in the mess hall I'll broadcast them! I might even make some up to spice it−" The door flew open before she could finish and Coget found herself against the wall with a set of claws muffling her voice. A discordant hiss in her ear summoned a triumphant grin to her face.

"_Get in here! And if I hear you breathe a WORD of this to ANYONE I'll PERSONALLY throw you to Cerberus. Understood!_" He all but threw her by the high collar she wore through the doorway. Following behind, he made sure to seal the entrance behind him.

0-0-0

"Are you serious?"

"I honestly never realized something could ACTUALY HAPPEN. It's been _years_ since he disappeared, _YEARS_! And now SHE suddenly turns up?" Coget found herself lounging against the arm of his throne, observing her hunting partner pace about in a rant which she hadn't bothered to time. _What a shame._

Man, if he was going for a Nightmaren hall record, he'd be looping the competition fifty thorough times over.

"So, Akila's your offspring. And the one you found in Elda-Mara was…" She paused, suddenly realizing the implication of his earlier words. She nearly launched from her spot just to give him a couple of new scars. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE HIM THERE?"

"It was almost dead! Nothing could have been done." Coget uncoiled a little, noting the melancholy tone in voice. "That one confirmed my own qualms." He continued, "They looked around the same age and size. And− it looked so much _like_ him." Nothing more was said and neither one moved until Coget spoke up.

"My lips are sealed."

Reala turned to her, not quite trusting what he'd heard. "What?"

"I don't want to lose Aki to Wiseman. She's a good kid. A little too quiet, but I guess she balances me out." The younger Nightmaren smiled sorrowfully. "She's also very attached to you. It would hurt her if Wiseman knocked you out of the picture."

"Really?" Reala shot her a disbelieving look before grunting, "Well that'll make melding her mind all the more easier. But can you be trusted with all that endless rambling you spit from that god forsaken hole of yours?" Coget huffed, slightly insulted.

"Hey! I'm not like Puffy-san. I don't run my mouth _that_ much."

"Oh yes, and my hat's actually pink. The lighting in here's horrific, right?" The goad had Coget sticking her tongue out at him. Reala chuckled darkly before inquiring, "Where is she now?"

"I dropped her off at the procreation ward. She's occupied. Why?"

"The master informed me of some tests she needs to pass before being accepted into the ranks." He almost felt the appalled glare his partner shot at him. Ouch.

"Relax. A visitor's been spotted in a new Nightopia. He wishes to see how well she can hunt−"

"He's insane! She's got the mind of a one year old child!" she hissed.

"Coget. You're technically, what, a week old? She needs to be proven useful before the master begins to… reconsider his thoughts."

Coget's face, being white already, became impossibly more insipid. She opened her mouth, most likely to retaliate, but no words could be formed. Her show of defeat rained dramatic like another Nightmaren he once knew.

"Ugh. Really, Reala?" She muttered. Coget's hand rose up to her mouth and she bit her claw. "Alright."

Reala nodded, "The sooner she learns, the better."

0-0-0-0-0

Coget landed at the doorway and knocked softly against the multicoloured… whatever the hell those doors were _actually _made of. She still had no clue.

The caretaker of the room answered, instantly allowing her entry with an affable grin in place.

"Did she cause any trouble?" Coget inquired and Puffy shook her head, a peaceful smile replacing her previous smirk.

"She's an _angel _next to the others. Quite docile." The larger Nightmaren indicated to her own youngling and his new playmate in the corner. When Aki noticed Coget she was instantly over at her side to greet her.

"Hi, Onee-chan!" Coget tossed her a double take, taking in what she heard. Instead of the muffled, stuttering foundation it once possessed, the voice which came out of the little Nightmaren's mouth registered clearly. It still however contained its timid, soft-spoken quality. This was quite a hurtle jumped today. Puffy chuckled across from her, taking note of the first level's surprise.

"Oh! By the way, she's picked up some new words. The basics though."

"That's great!" Coget patted the top of Akila's hat. A simple gesture being one of silent praise. "It's time to go Aki."

By the end of the week Coget's mission was to get Akila fully settled in the ward. Sleeping and all. However, a few more nights spent in her room wouldn't hurt.

Accepting her extol with a prideful smile, Akila's eyes lit up."'Kay!"

Those eyes were unfamiliar. It seemed almost impossible to distinguish any differences between father and daughter, but those eyes were not Reala's.

_Not Reala's. _Now that she possessed knowledge of the truth, it killed her not to delve further into finding out more about this ex-partner of his. Too bad they'd never meet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8. **

"Hi NiGHTS!"

The purple jester looked up from his seat in the air and puffed a concluding note across his flute. The owner of the new Nightopia hosting him skipped over, her blond hair swaying in a set of pigtails which she always wore.

NiGHTS still couldn't get over how much the visitor looked like her mother. It'd been years since Helen last made her way to the Dream realm and he missed her dearly. It still puzzled the Nightmaren as to why it had been so long since her last visit, but who knew what sort of dilemmas her heart faced in the waking world.

Helen posed as a great help to NiGHTS after discovering the baffling existence of the young he carried many years back. The human, being a grown and married woman, had been expecting her second child around the same time. NiGHTS, being as clueless as could be towards the illogicality of his predicament had not been given the required knowledge to handle the situation. If it weren't for Helen's support and assistance, Lord only knew what would have become of him. NiGHTS owed her a debut of gratitude, and possibly his life.

This particular visitor hopping towards him now was her first born. She stood a little taller than Helen did at her age, with limbs like twigs. The poor thing always looked so fragile on the outside, but the girl held her head high and oozed with spirit. Her personality had been reflected wholesomely in the new paradise her Idyea created. It was green, and full of life just like the light of which shaped the land. A brilliant azure, stoned palace sat at the center of it all. Other walls constructed from the stone littered the cultivated flowerbeds of the central courtyard. The structures weren't nearly as glorious compared to the floral gardens, he noted, but it was still impressive. When NiGHTS first began to scope out the area there however, he uncovered a nasty surprise. Either way, the Nightmaren still managed to mask his worry with a smile.

"Anna, this Nightopia's great! Well, except for that overhang. Going to need to be careful about that." He pointed a gloved thumb towards where the world abruptly cut off into a bottomless drop. NiGHTS knew what lay below in the crevasse. It deeply concerned him as to why a sliver of the Dark Ocean had made an appearance in her world. Under many circumstances this was an ill omen for any visitor and he hoped her case wouldn't be too dire. "Only one more Ideya to go, right?"

"Well, thanks I guess. And, yeah, I can't wait!" The girl laughed outright and promptly sat on one of the stone ledges beneath him.

NiGHTS smirked. That's just what he wanted to hear.

"So how's your mum doing? I haven't seen her in a while."

The girl kicked out her legs, swinging them quietly. From his position, NiGHTS could only see the crown of the girl's head and the long pause made him blink. After a while of waiting, the jester almost considered descending to check up on her, but Anna beat him to the chase.

"Well," The girl paused, her voice noticeably shaky. "Well, my dad and brother just got into a car accident. Dad passed away in the crash and Kurt's stuck the hospital until tomorrow. Mum's not taking it too well."

Well shit, this blew everything out of the water.

NiGHTS shot up with a gasp, "_What?_ That's terrible." Certainly this was a disturbing turn of events.

"It's alright. We'll get over it. I never saw dad very much, he was always working; and whenever he came home, he'd always avoid me. I think he liked Kurt better then me because he's stronger." The girl's face remained solemn, "I'm happy Kurt's okay at least."

NiGHTS frowned. The girl said something about having a heart condition a while back. CHF she called it? Anna was never really all that healthy. Even from the moment she was born. Helen always mentioned things about _watching her progress_ and a lot of other medical crap he didn't understand. So was the way of mortals. They lived for such a short time.

NiGHTS wasn't really sure how to respond to Anna's offhanded explanation of the incident, but the fact of how cavalier her tone was got to him. Was she really talking about family?_ Visitors aren't like this to their own creators. _

"Doesn't that seem a little... cold?" The Nightmaren offered.

"Sorry if it sounds that way. If you met dad you'd probably think different." The girl began to swing her feet again and a silence enveloped them.

The jester obtained a sudden interest with the ground, a worried expression fighting to make appearance. He had a feeling she was going to ask it soon. That one question where he wouldn't be able to hide around smiles.

"So, where's the other two? Playing off somewhere else?"

There it was.

As predicted, whatever instinctual reaction he gave off, Anna caught it. The girl stood, alarmed, from her seat.

"What? Did something happened?" Anna's voice raised a pitch and NiGHTS gulped, finding it increasingly more difficult to answer. Hell, he couldn't even make eye contact with the girl anymore. Finally he was able to croak out an answer but emotional instability soon followed.

"It's− only _one_ now." NiGHTS knew exactly what was running down his cheek, and the last thing he wanted was for the visitor to see. As unlucky as the Nightmaren had been lately, it turned out he wasn't in the clear.

"NiGHTS?" Not realizing that he'd closed his eyes, he opened them, but in doing so didn't expect to see a very disturbed looking Anna materialize before his face. He reeled back in surprise and covered his face defiantly.

Damn, wasn't this_ ever_ embarrassing. It amazed him how firmly built-up walls could crumble so quickly.

NiGHTS could still sense the girl's stare and took in a shuttering breath. Anna hadn't said a thing all the while he tried to piece himself together. When the jester began to wipe his eyes with the back of his glove, the visitor spoke softly, sounding enlightened.

"I didn't know Nightmaren could cry."

NiGHTS choked out a laugh, spirits steadily re-lifting. "There are a lot of things you don't know about us, kid."

The next twenty minutes or so was of NiGHTS expelling the events of the past couple weeks. Anna became a problem-sponge like she so enjoyed to. He'd once asked her why that was so, but she merely brushed it off, saying it was psychology practice −whatever that meant−. Her attentiveness was often accepted whenever he needed an ear to rant or ramble at. Being a single parent had many downfalls indeed.

"−and she just, disappeared?" NiGHTS blinked, only catching onto the tail end of Anna's question.

"Sorry?"

"So she just disappeared?"

"Yeah, and Renhet couldn't remember a thing! I found her cloths near the edge of the pond, and he was out cold between the rocks. But I just couldn't find her."

"You don't suppose anything picking her up?" Anna trailed off, not sure if she should have said what she had. The girl relaxed after seeing her friend unaffected.

"If she had been, they probably would have−" The girl changed her mind. It was totally the wrong thing to say. Before any more tears could spill she jumped into action.

"You still have Ren, right? I know it sounds horrible for me to say it, but it could have been worse." The Nightmaren grimaced and Anna began a rapid throng of apologies.

Perhaps she should've just stuck with listening to the problems.

When the flustered jumble of words and stressed emotions slowed the Nightmaren sighed, slumping even lower.

"Could we change the topic now?" NiGHTS muttered, and the girl instantly jumped for the chance.

"Sure, sure!"

The girl looked down at the white dress shoes she sported before NiGHTS spoke again, "Right." It sounded surprisingly closer and Anna, out of the corner of her eye, saw a flash of purple before the Nightmaren took a seat beside her.

After that, neither of them said a word. So much for conversation. For the usually social individuals they were, everything about the silence sat heavily.

"Hey, does Kurt have a Nightopia?" The visitor almost sighed in relief when the other perked up. Hopefully getting their minds off of things would haul them both out of their ruts.

"Yes, why?"

"I− just wanted to know what it looked like. He's so quiet. It's hard to figure out what's going on in his head."

NiGHTS tapped the side of his face with blunt fingers, mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. "He's only got one on him. It's sort of dark, actually and really large. As far as I could tell at the time I couldn't sense any Nightmaren tainting it. It's quite strange."

"Really?" Anna examined her knees, shoes seeming to get a little old. "I'm just worried about him, that's all. He's gone through a lot lately."

"I've noticed. He ignores me you know. Doesn't want to fly and every time I pass through he's always playing on that piano."

"Sounds like him. All he does is practice and write."

"Sounds boring."

"Just like our conversation?" Twin grins broke out on them both.

"Yes, quite." NiGHTS jumped up and offered her his hand with a flourish. She laughed and accepted the offer, allowing him to steer them towards the candy-coloured clouds of her world's sky.

~Let's forget about everything for a while. Reality's depressing.~

Anna smiled to herself. ~Deal.~

**0-0-0-0-0**

**Author's note: _A lot going on here that might make some people go, _**_HUH? **But I promise it will all make sense in time. :) Next chapter will be up by tomorrow I think. All of them have been rewritten for the Prologue, I'm just going through the editing stages. **_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9. **

Since the night before, Akila's mind had effectively gone into in overload. The fault, in entirety, was to be placed on her guardian.

Of course, Coget did mean well. However, her advice on visitor hunting proceeded to become excessive, after the fifth hour of rambling. It was late morning in the Dream Realm now, and her mouth was _still_ running.

"Listen dear, you need to figure out what their weakness is and then use it against them. Of what I've heard, this visitor's the naïve sort. So do you remember what I told you last night?"

"Yes, Onee-chan."

The little Nightmaren still managed to hold strong after being forced to endure her guardian's fretting. Well, on the outside at least. Akila didn't mind too much, but in all truth it was only the Ideya that interested her not the process of capturing them.

0-0-0

In the earlier hours of the morning they had passed one of the many Ideya vaults housing the stolen orbs. Coget, being the overly excited individual she was, decided to sneak one out to show her. When her guardian finally figured out the complexities of the lock, Akila was surprised at how marvelous the orbs actually were.

The revealed example of her future target shone a lovely, cobalt glow. An Ideya of Intelligence was what her superior called it. It was warm to the touch, and mesmerizing to admire; however she didn't have long to look at it. They had to briskly cram it back into its original place when the approach of others sounded at that end of the hallway.

0-0-0

Akila clutched a stitched arm in her hand, though it didn't belong to her caretaker.

After she'd awoken that morning, Aki began to explore her guardian's room. A lot of sewing supplies were found: needles, felt, silks, spools, and then a stitched mass caught her eye from under the bed. At first, she was cautious about reaching in to pull it out, however the knowledge of it being there got the best of her. The little Nightmaren bent over and stretched out her arm attentively to grasp a soft leg, pulling out the body of a large, stuffed ragdoll.

It had no hair and a crooked mouth, but Akila still found awe in the sewn creation. She pulled it up with her onto the bed, unknowingly stirring Coget awake when snuggling it into the pillow. When this made itself known, Akila instantly felt ashamed for rooting through her guardian's belongings. Expecting to be scolded, Coget instead laughed, saying the doll was used for hunting proposes and that she had many spares on hand. It was then that the first-level offered it to her.

Akila couldn't lie so she didn't. She'd fallen in love with the thing within seconds of discovering it.

Now she always had it with her, like a creepy comfort object at her side.

0-0-0

Once again they were back in the mess hall, waiting for Akila's escort and judge to pick her up. Of course, Coget still continued to run her mouth. Aki tuned her out while she ate and zoned back in again after finishing.

Not a moment too soon either.

"−grab as many Ideya as you can once her−"

"Oh Good _Lord_! You sound like a human mother sending her brat off on their first day of school!"

Reala must have just arrived.

Coget yelped and nearly knocked over her cup on the table. Akila looked up and was met with crossed arms and a scowl.

"It's better to attack BEFORE the day ends. Quit monopolizing her attention, we need to leave!" On that jagged note, Aki rose from her seat, not wanting to anger Reala further as her guardian seemed to be satisfied with doing. Coget waved them off, if not begrudgingly and took a harsh bite from her breakfast.

"Oh shush! Fine. Off you go." Coget made sure to glare at Reala's retreating back with extra aggression until both him and Akila turned the archway corner.

Until occupying himself with opening the portal, Reala muttered to himself. Akila remained silent and kept her distance. _Hopefully he'll cool off soon_, was what the little jester hoped. She almost wondered why he was so angry, but realized how incredibly stupid the question was.

This was her first and only test at hunting. It seemed that Nightmare's soul purpose was to pilfer Ideya from visitors to prevent the complete formations of Nightopias. For what reason though? She wasn't sure. If she did good however, maybe they would accept her more? Hopefully Reala would too. Right?

When the window opened, a powerful beam of light launched itself across the corridor to meet with the wall and the left side of Akila's face was caught in the blast. She pulled herself away, clutching the doll to her chest and eye cringing shut after the ray's startling abuse.

It became clear when Reala grabbed her arm that evading the painful beams weren't an option.

Akila heard a gruff, "Let's go," before Reala pushed her forward.

0-0-0-0-0

The Nightopia they entered nearly blinded her. At first, all she could see was white, then the dark of her eyelids trying to block everything out and then white again. After a minute or so of adjusting, Akila could only take in her surroundings if she squinted. The judge of her progress spoke up moments before she was ready.

"Your victim is right below us. Oh! And what luck, she's alone." Akila followed where Reala's claw pointed, her vision finally cooperating.

They were both perched on the top edge of a castle tower overlooking a luscious grass courtyard. Not far from this the world cut off like a brilliant picture torn in half. Beyond the startling drop-off lay an opaque clouds stretching out from the a few meters below the edge and stretched out for the far reaches of the horizon. If anything existed below the mist, Aki felt in her gut that it wasn't pure.

The rest of Reala's words didn't reach her after her wandering gaze spotted the visitor.

A tall blond girl stood at the edge of the drop, examining a sizable mass of flowers adorning the perilous ledge. Akila stole a quick glance at Reala, in time to see him nod her forward.

The young Nightmaren descended to where the girl knelt, holding the trusty doll at her side by the arm once more. Landing flat on her feet, she was about the size of a human toddler next to the girl. She reached up and tugged at the blond's skirt.

0-0-0

"What are you doing?" Reala mumbled to himself, surveying from above. Direct approaches weren't often seen anymore. He remained hidden kneeling just out of sight, now aware that he couldn't interfere even if he wished to. Wiseman had begun to observe her performance through his eyes. Reala could feel the ubiquitous presence tapering in on his mind and schooled himself enough to not let signs of trepidation show through. If Akila messed this up now, her life would serve as the penalty. As well as his own.

0-0-0

The towering visitor looked down at her from above, surprise clearly evident in her eyes.

"_AKI?_" The girl cried out and scooped up the Nightmaren into her arms, doll included. Akila looked into the girl's shoulder with a confused, wide-eyed stare. The girl embraced her eagerly, completely ignorant of Akila's odd change of apparel or out of the blue appearance.

0-0-0

Numb shock had Reala paralyzed.

He just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

_What's going on? This girl knows? Damnit, everything's already going to hell and−_

He paused, catching a glimpse of the youngling's face. Over the girl's shoulder, a wide smirk could be seen, showing a row of sharp teeth. It was a twisted one at that.

0-0-0

Despite the earlier puzzling behavior, Akila brushed her lips close to the girl's ear. There was time to think later. The position she was in gave her an excellent advantage.

_"I wanna play."_ She whispered.

The visitor tensed up and pulled away from the jester she held.

"Huh?" The girl's bright, blue orbs widened. Akila smiled innocently up at her with pleading eyes.

_"Come play with me!"_ The Nightmaren wiggled out of the girl's arms and hovered off the ground just out of her reach.

"But, shouldn't we go tell Ni−"

"_Catch me if you can!"_ Not letting the girl finish, Akila giggled before dashing for the open gate leading into the keep.

"WAIT!" The girl took off after her, not noticing the daunting echo which tailed the laugh.

Akila led the girl in a circle, not knowing which way she was heading herself. Mirth rapidly grew within her chest as the chase continued and it occasionally bubbled out in the form of laughter and wild grins. She didn't feel the need to hide it either. This was actually a lot of fun! Pausing to wait for the visitor to catch up, she hugged the doll closer and let her tiny fangs see the light.

Fun, and _invigorating._

The girl skid around the corner and Akila giggled again, catching the child's attention, before flying off again. The hall opened up back into the main foyer and she launched herself back outside.

Now it was time to put her idea to the test.

She dropped the doll on the stone of the walkway only feet across from where the overhang sat.

Lowering herself over the edge of the cliff, Aki made sure she was concealed enough to not be seen. Zabulon had shown this game to her the day before. So far it was her favourite one out of them all.

Shoes on tile and then cobblestone had her freezing of all movement. The visitor was now outside. She giggled once more, and this time it carried far and loud. The foggy space below assisting her fantastically. The girl called out her name yet again, closer now then before. A lot closer.

Perfect.

"_Let's play hide and seek." _Her last whisper edged off in a raspy hiss.

"_I'm it."_

0-0-0

Reala didn't catch a word of what was said in the visitor's ear. However when they parted everything Akila said was caught before she took off, the visitor following in a hurry.

What was she doing? Had she remembered the girl?

Minutes passed, feeling like hours until a little black and purple hat popped back out again, that repugnant doll still in the Nightmaren's tow. To his astonishment, the toy was dropped in the center of the path before she proceeded to hide herself.

_Wait− Does she actually have a plan?_

Reala wanted to think this thought as ludicrous, but really, it wouldn't have been too shocking after all the progress she'd made so far.

The girl left the building.

She was calling out now.

And the doll…

_Oh._ A playful smirk inched across his face.

_Very interesting._

0-0-0

The girl picked up the ragdoll, her back facing away from the fog. Aki peered over the ledge. She could sense the girl's heart rate quiver while her pigtails bobbed about, scanning the area for a Nightmaren she couldn't find.

"_I can see you."_ At the sound of her voice, a spike in the visitor's pulse gave the signal to advance.

Akila rose, taking stealth into consideration and landed behind her on the grass.

"_**Found you." **_

She lunged upwards, claws digging into the girl's shoulders. The visitor shrieked and stumbled backwards, arms flying up to grab at what jumped her. They both began to struggle as the girl swayed and in the violent barrage of movement, took many steps backwards. Akila's victim shrieked when her tiny hands finally passed through the girl's front and out through the back.

Four Ideya fell to the ground, two at a time, and the visitor lost her balance. Arms flailed and the girl fell back over the cliff yelling, and reaching out, nearly taking Akila with her.

Reacting on instinct, Akila stretched out her hand with the intention of grabbing the girl. Instead, the silver chain of the girl's pendant caught between her claws and the weak metal snapped under the falling force.

Not an instant later, the eager fog separated, swallowing the screaming visitor whole.

Akila hovered over where the girl vanished, staring down into the murky clouds. She remained there until Reala's voice forced her away.

"Well done!" He landed beside her, beaming in an alarmingly cheerful manner. Though the abrupt change of his mood lifted her self-esteem, Akila couldn't help but to glance over the edge again.

"She... fell." Whatever sorrow she displayed for the visitor went unnoticed by her superior.

"Her soul has been destroyed, this wasn't what was originally planned but it's of no importance to us. We'll need to leave within the hour before this world implodes." Reala elucidated, fingering a brilliant red orb in the grass. "Four Ideya, including an Ideya of Courage! That's quite a bit for your caliber. I'm quite impressed, youngling." Akila wasn't sure what to say. There was no malice, or sardonic intent. She'd never seen him more astounded nor as please. He was praising her! So instead, a bashful smile graced her lips.

"The master's been observing you with me," He added cheerfully. "He's exceedingly satisfied, just as I am." He patted the top of her hat and quickly opened a window leading to Nightmare. They passed through, spoils and ragdoll in hand.

0-0-0-0-0

A few of the larger Nightmaren congratulated her after being released from Wiseman's throne room. Just as Reala informed, Wiseman was particularly pleased with her first catch and graded her as an official second-level.

Coget practically fainted when she heard the news and nearly strangled Akila with the hug she inflicted. A few of the procreations who were there to see it all gave her astonished and dirty looks, but said nothing, while a sleepy looking Zabu had complimented her on her success.

Evening swiftly overtook the Night Realm and Akila managed to separate herself from her supervisor as well as all others.

Sitting outside the door to her guardian's room, she pulled the necklace out from under her collar and examined the silver pendent carefully. It resembled a heart and was about the size of a walnut in her palm. The outside designs were fairly plain and she noticed a pair of tiny hinges along one side. With her long claws Akila tried to pry the smooth edges open. She nicked it the right way on the forth attempt and the lid popped.

A sweet tune instantly emanated from the discovered locket.

Akila regarded it, never hearing music before. It placed her under a spell, which had nothing to do with magic. Thought it certainly sounded enchanting.

Time passed before the Nightmaren's head began to nod. The melody, soothing as it was, made her drowsy. Fighting sleep provided to be fruitless and in an instant she was out cold against the wall.

Coget discovered her ward outside her door and against the far wall, nuzzling into the stuffed prop she'd given to her that morning. Picking up the mysterious tune emanating from her charge's tiny hand, she nudged it open to find the locket in her grasp. The taller Nightmaren smiled, not knowing where Akila had found it, but that mattered less now.

The guardian closed the locket gently before carrying her little Nightmaren to bed.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

**Author's Note: ((**_**Locket Song- Precious Orgel)) **__**One of the most awesome locket themes I've ever heard. :) I made the locket a family heirloom within the Cartwright family passed down from mother to daughter. **_

_**I've played around with Akila a lot since first thinking her up. She's now the quiet, creepy little girl with a thing for dolls. Because of the whole amnesia thing, it's really easy to write her as just a shy little kid trying to appeal to everyone. **_

_**Since Nightmaren are all created adult and they didn't experience the complexities of learning and development, it's only normal to slide in some very human traits that are OOC to the hostile Nightmaren usually pictured. I feel like it fits. :/ **_

_**And well shit, I'm thinking too far into this. This fandom is a fucking plague running rampant in my head. **_

_**I swear that I'm no deranged weeboo though. Just a different kind of madman. :) **_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10. **

"ANNAAAAA!" That was officially the eighth time NiGHTS called since he arrived, but the girl still hadn't answered. Of course, he'd only just arrived, but it was now well into the night by reality's standards. It would've come to no surprise if a few Nightopian's carted her off to play.

Though this would have been a good solution to the 'missing persons' case, none of the Nightopian's of which NiGHTS encountered seemed to have sighted her.

At this point, concern for the girl's wellbeing had NiGHTS scouring the world with the hopes of catching even the slightest bob of her pigtails.

Sure the Nightmaren had been quiet for some time, but one could never assume they'd stay on their side of the Night Realm for long.

Now that he thought about it−

NiGHTS flew to a halt, his searching proving futile.

_I could have sworn the grass was brighter the night before. And the sky−_ No. He had to be imagining it. NiGHTS brushed off the downbeat thoughts. It was already bad enough that the Dark Ocean had made an appearance in her Nightopia, and now he was jumping to conclusions?

Anna wouldn't fall prey so easily. Then again, after that recent accident she mentioned, it could have been powerful enough to weaken her Ideya and with it the world's defensive barrier. Something might have gotten in after all. Or if it was a higher leveled−

A flux struck the air and the visible vibration passed over NiGHTS like a splashed of cold water. He froze. The sensation felt familiar yet he'd rarely ever experienced those warning waves within his long existence.

"Hey, mum!" Ren flew down to him from god knows where− his mission most likely to search NiGHTS out− and nearly frightened the violet jester to death. At first, he didn't seem to notice his mother's trepidation, but after being shushed, he regarded her with the same amount of anxious curiosity. "What's wrong?"

"I think, I just felt a flux." Troubling as it was to hear NiGHTS' voice so hushed, Renhet couldn't comprehend his meaning.

Before he could ask, another flux hit and Renhet lost altitude with a yelp, the blow throwing him off balance. Not knowing what hit him, he yelled out, looking to his mother for answers.

"Mum−" "_Ren. Get back to the gate._" The violet jester's tone rang fretfully staid. Unfortunately Renhet was too slow on the draw.

"What?"

"I SAID GET BACK TO THE GATE." A split second later he was being dragged by the collar and then by the arm with NiGHTS dashing them to the nearest exit.

At first, Ren assumed they were being attacked; however when he turned his head to distinguish what chased them, he saw something that proved to be ten times more alarming.

Everything was crumbling away. Vanishing.

A large, drain-like hole had split open the sky at the Nightopia's core. It was as if someone had punctured a hole into a vacuum. Swirling debris of what once was a beautiful world rocketed around them before it was swallowed. The sky came apart like torn canvas and the ground in chunks.

Leaving nothing but black void.

Mesmerized with the disaster playing out, Renhet's line of vision abruptly cut off when NiGHTS launched them through the familiar wooded door before slamming it shut. It burst into splinters seconds later, followed by the other three along the edge of the path one after the other.

NiGHTS released Ren's arm before leaning against the fountain's basin gasping for breath.

"What was that?!" Ren tore his eyes away from the remains of the doorways. NiGHTS held his face in his hands.

The violet jester inhaled deeply before the air abruptly rushed out. "Anna…" Renhet regarded the other, not sure what to make of the recently occurring events.

"Is she-" He wasn't able to finish and NiGHTS silently nodded. It was sharp and punctuated, a clear indication that his mother didn't wish to answer outright. The facts however had to be brought out into the open.

"She's dead."

A split second later and the younger jester was at his side; pulling at the hands which NiGHTS hadn't realize he'd brought to his face again.

"No!" he bellowed, "That's impossible! I know she was sick a lot but- Dead?"

The lack of answer made him gulp. A frantic pair of wings and a loud hoot caused him to turn. Owl landed clumsily on their left, panting as if he flew from one side of the realm to the other within the hour.

"What's Happened? T-the doors!" The old bird sputtered over himself, finally grasping to stone ledge enough to keep him up right.

"Anna's soul. She's..." The older jester couldn't finish. Owl's head bowed, now understanding the situation.

"Hoo. I see, the poor girl. I wonder what brought around such a catastrophe."

"Does this mean, she isn't gunna wake up?" Ren whispered, abandoning the spot on his mothers knee to hover over them instead.

The elder individuals remained silent. Neither of them desiring to reply. Eventually NiGHTS spoke up.

"Ren, shouldn't you go meet Morisa? She's probably looking for you." A dispirited frown twisted Ren's face, as he looked from Owl, to his mother, then back again. Nope, they weren't going to answer his inquiries. A frustrated sigh deflated his chest and he ascended higher.

_Well this sucks._ He grumbled, flying off to leave NiGHTS and Owl behind in a shower of white sparkles. Pushing the issue would have been bound to make their cheerful moods even worse. It may have not looked it, but Ren did know when to quit. Sure him and his ego went overboard at times, but he wasn't _that_ thick.

Renhet entered Morisa's dream-bubble in one fellow swoop, beginning his hunt along the gateway courtyard below for any black-haired blobs.

Maybe he could even get the drop on her? Yeah, that would be fun. She was a whole load of fun to tick off! His spirits lifted slightly. This human was way different then Anna. Sure she was a little squishy around the edges when it cam to self-esteem, but Morisa had become determined to make some sort of stand against his tomfoolery. That was something he admired.

But it wasn't going to work.

When nothing moving caught Ren's attention, he descended below the tree line and sat cross-legged under one of the great oaks. After that, time became sluggish. Or so he thought. It felt like he'd been sitting there for over an hours when it had only been minutes and by that point he was going stir-crazy.

_Is she asleep yet? No of course she isn't! She's going to make me wait_-

"Ren-kun?"

He shrieked, jumping up onto the nearest tree branch. Renhet shot a wide-eyed glance at the visitor standing under him.

"Woah! Don't teleport on me!" He gasped, thoroughly shaken by his undignified yell and the sudden appearance of Morisa below his feet. Thankfully for him, she didn't comment on the shrill reaction. Instead the girl looked haggard.

"Gomen. I woke up. Loud alarm noise. Outside− window."

"Oh, okay." Ren sighed, visibly slumping against the branch in his hold. "A lot's happened today already. One of the visitors mum and I are close to just lost her soul. Her Nightopia self destructed on us and mum and I were almost sucked in."

"Huh?" Morisa raised a brow at him, noticing the melancholy way he held his head down. Exhaling again, Renhet offered his hand silently and they merged.

When telepathically connected he repeated himself, sounding as if he needed someone to confide in.

~So, what happens when you lose your soul?~ Morisa asked, thoroughly disturbed. They sat down together in the uppermost branches of the tree, making conversation the only constructive way they could.

~You never wake up again. Owl said something like, the visitor's body would become an empty shell. I dunno what it all means, but−~

~N−Never wake up?~ Morisa 's heart rate leaped and Renhet hushed her.

~Geez, we won't let it happen to you! Promise. You just have to stay away from the Dark Ocean. That's all.~

~Th− Thanks.~ She smiled, nerves a little less haywire. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Renhet broke the ice.

~Hey, your English is getting better.~ He noted and Morisa laughed.

~Yeah, they really drill me at school.~

Morise was met with a brief pause before Renhet spoke up again, ~What's school like?~

The visitor blinked in shortly lived confusion before an odd excitement took her over. It was alien to think that Renhet had never been to a school, never heard of cars, TV, music. Even the simplest day-to-day specifics of her lively world were a completely foreign concept to him. The boring, quiet life of living in the Night Realm played a stark contrast against life in Bellbridge. Morisa slowly found herself educating her new counterpart on the complexities of reality, and in turn he taught her of his world too.

~Right, right. School… It's were kid's learn stuff, like Math, English, Science all sorts of things. I don't like Math very much though, and Music's really fun. We've also got a really small class."

~How many?~ Ren hummed to himself before inquiring thoughtfully.

~Nineteen, twenty-ish? I think?~

A jolt of surprise from the opposite line had the girl raising her brow. ~Woah! How's that small?~

~There's hundreds at my school.~

"Wow, I didn't know there were so many visitors in your world." Renhet leaned backward against the tree feeling dumbfounded before casually crossing his arms. Morisa went with it, not at all uncomfortable.

~So, how do you learn?~ The girl questioned nonchalantly.

~Owl. He really gets on my nerves about it. Man, that bird's so whiny.~

Morisa giggled a little too loudly within the uncomfortable silence of the Dreamgate vicinity. ~Yeah, that would suck.~

~Wanna go flying?−~ Morisa flinched instantaneously at the question and a peeved growl reverberated over the bond. ~Okay, _low _flying?~ he corrected himself with a sigh. ~_Really,_ Mori! You're so boring.~

She swatted his leg and if anyone else human were looking, it would have appeared that he'd hit himself. Renhet hissed at her before they rose from their seat. ~Fine! Let's go! But I'm warning you.~

With that said, Morisa felt a strange tie of emotions over the bond, and then silence. She wondered what they meant and tried to poke around in his head for answers, but Ren locked himself up tight. Slightly irritated by this, she decided to let it go.

0-0-0-0-0-0

They'd been in the air for over an hour or so, cruising along possibly a handful of meters from the ground. During this grueling length of time, Morisa had given up trying to avoid the odd flits of- God only knew what they were, firing off in the other's head. She wanted to ask what he was hiding, but considering his near-death experience and the loss of a friend from earlier that night, she decided against it.

~By the way, you still haven't told me if you were scared of heights or not.~ They were flying low over the pond when Renhet mentioned this. It had been the first time either one of them spoke since taking flight.

Once again, the subtle layer of a jeer began to show through, re-stoking the fires of aggravation within the girl's soul. It amazed her how only a sentence from him could set her off.

~I'm not scared!~ She hissed, setting herself with a determined vent of breath. That strange wave of emotion from his wavelength returned and strengthened. This time however, it didn't waver.

Though high pitched it was, the laugh that left Renhet was intimidating enough to make her mind freeze.

~Oh really? Let's see about that!~

She suddenly lost all motor control of the jester and he shot them strait up into the dark sky above. Fear lurched in Morisa's stomach and immediately she was whimpering.

~What are you doing?~ It sounded more like a statement then a question. It seemed that her brain hadn't fully clicked into the situation at hand. Renhet didn't answer, but sped up.

It only took a quick glance downward for the girl to start shrieking.

~Liar, Liar!~ He snickered and kept on going, belting out his laughter while she hollered.

~ST− STOP!~

Renhet finally did as commanded.

Not because she'd ordered him to though, but because it felt as if half of his body had been stripped away. It wasn't even a strange feeling. Actually, he felt just like his regular self.

His partner, screaming bloody murder below however, reminded him exactly the reason why that was. Both souls had to be willing and in the right state of mind to duelize.

And there was Morisa, dropping like a rock.

_Oh crap. _

When the realization came that he'd just _dropped_ a visitor more then a hundred meters away from the ground Renhet's eyes widened in horror.

He pelted after the tumbling figure. Hands out stretched, he had to push himself to his limits before the visitor came within reach. Morisa was seized tightly under the arms and instantaneously her decent began to slow.

A few feet from the ground, they came to a permanent halt and the little jester placed the girl effortlessly on her feet. When he released her however, she pitched forward to her knees and rolled to the side forming a ball of quivering limbs.

Renhet hovered uncertainly away from her. Unsure how to approach the shivering girl. "You okay? I didn't mean to drop you, honest−" He clamped his mouth shut when a her back convulsed with an impending sob. As soon as the first one came and passed, a torrent of eerie wails and full body shudders had Ren fixating a bewildered look on her back.

"Mori?" He whispered, sliding out of his temporary paralysis. Ren lowered himself to her side, trying to see past the tense fold of arms shielding the girl's face. When no responses came, he cringed. "I didn't know, okay? I'm sorry, please stop." His little fingers went as far as to pry her arms from her face, but when he caught a glimpse of her eyes Ren released her.

He _had_ done something horrible.

A distressful amount of remorse made the jester gulp. He had to do something, anything. Renhet landed in the grass beside the girl and draped his slight arms around her back and shoulders.

The trembling slowed and her sobs became half-controlled sniffles. Ren felt the human ball uncurl just enough for the girl to pull him up against her chest in a strangling embrace.

"D− dad threw me from w− window before we moved. He had gun. Did bad things− Me saw." Morisa whimpered, burying her face into his hat. Ren didn't dare move, not that he really could without hurting the poor girl.

"Doctors say I lucky. Broke a lot of bones. Got scars. Dad got away, so Mum and I move here." When Renhet didn't respond to her fragmented English, she continued quietly. "Ren? You have dad?"

When he still hadn't spoken, Morisa looked down at him in her hold. His expression was pensive, yet it also seemed bothered.

"I don't know." Renhet avoided her gaze, "I never asked."

Their current embrace suddenly found itself at the forefront of Morisa's mind. Her eyes widened followed by the quick retraction of her arms. They parted awkwardly, and the girl began to busily wipe away at her reddened eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Sorry." Morisa looked down at her knees when she had finished.

"It's fine." He murmured, and wondered why she was the one apologizing.

Man was this girl ever weird.

"I− I have to wake up early today. I see you later." She got up clumsily, nearly tripping before jogging back over to the cobblestone where the fountain lay. When only the top of her head was visible in his line of sight; she dissipated into nothing, indicating she had left the realm.

Renhet was left in the grass to contemplate alone. A dangerous feat in itself. The feeling he felt earlier. Hearing the screams and feeling the unadulterated terror.

_Mum doesn't need to know. _He thrill felt amazing at first, but looking at the girl's face when he finally saw past her arms… The cons outweighed the pros.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **_**Shit… this chapter's long and it's also the reason why I rated the fict. M. There is gore… quite a damn lot... So yeah, enjoy. I really wish I could use more then two genres for this prologue. Because this part has a lot of horror… Fuck. I have no beta reader and the editing is all done by moi. I might have missed a few errors in the other chapters so please point them out to me if you can! It would be greatly appreciated. ^^**_

**Chapter 11. **

Akila's eyes fluttered open at the sound of collective whispering. She shifted a bit to look off the edge of her bunk and was met by a large group of Procreations crowding where she slept. Akila quickly propped herself up on her arms and slid closer to the wall, uncertain of their intentions while they glared down at her.

"Well, look who's awake." Katenihp, a slightly older feline hissed. He stood at the front of the group, paws crossed and a smug façade in place. It was instantaneous that Akila recognized him from the other day. He was one of the very few who looked infuriated after her successful first hunt.

An assortment of the younger Nightmaren smirked darkly as he spoke, while the other half scowled. Zabu was nowhere to be seen in the crowd and by the looks of it his mother wasn't in the room either. By the way they observed her, it was certain that none of them approved of Akila's sudden appearance.

"What makes you so special, huh? Just 'cause you brought a lot back on your first hunt." The largest of the group spoke, clearly disdained.

"Yeah! You're like a first-level pet! And look at her." Jericol, another PC roommate, launched forward, seizing Akila's leg roughly before violently jerking her from the shadows. The jester yelped, as the tug dragged over the edge of the bed and onto her back. Struggling away proved fruitless. The PC was known for his strong grip and by the time he stopped pulling, her bottom half hung over the side of the mattress and her claws had torn good sized holes into the sheets.

Now that her face was out in the open to scrutinize, the beady eyes of Akila's captor squinted down at her abhorrently.

"She looks just like Reala. He's always so nice to her too. Why, huh? You're just a snooty little_ brat_!"

"Yeah! Reala's-Pet!"

The group erupted into raucous laughter when one of them shouted out the epithet, as if it were the most clever name ever fabricated. Akila couldn't move, mortified at the title they had given her. A series of rising thumps against the stone floor went unnoticed by the group as they grew closer to their victim.

It wasn't until Puffy began yelling at the cluster that they dispersed and silenced.

The large ball puffed out her chest in irritation, face tinting a misty hue of red. "What is _this_ all about? You known two of your roommates are sleeping! If one of them wakes, then I will confine _all_ of you in the back room! Understood?"

The group let out a few silent murmurs of fear before further backing out of Akila's vicinity. Akila, no longer under threat, exhaled before sliding from the mattress into her feet.

She glanced over at the sleeping form of Zabu. Akila had already forgotten about the other, more concerning events of last night. Before running off to find solitude, her friend had exhibited a strange amount of exhaustion. The few scattered cracks that had split along his left cheek webbed out, climbing the side of his face over night. Blacketti, another PC had grown the same skin-formations the day prior. Both had shown the same symptoms of fatigue and it left them all in a perplexed dilemma. Especially Puffy.

Nightmaren did not physically age. They also could not contract disease. Their assigned caretaker had become acceptant of that, as it was required of the PC's to grow, but the concept of illness? Just the thought of such a thing had been laughable, as Nightmaren were not supposed to experience either of these things. They were immortal and above those petty, corporeal weaknesses. Much of the controversy towards the project had been ushered by this. However, breeding Nightmaren was an entirely new experience and no one, not even Wiseman, knew what the outcome would hold. Precautions had to be made along the way and since this was the second procreation to show abnormal symptoms, it needed to be brought to the Master's attention.

"I'll be gone for a little while." Puffy announced to the room's occupants. "Akila, will be in charge until I return. If any of you act out of line towards her and I hear about it, then punishment will be in your near future. Do I make myself clear?"

More mumbles of confirmation came from around the room in discord arrangement.

Puffy glared down at them, lip turning up into a frown. Though the look was disapproving, she allowed the lousy answers to pass. "No one is to leave this room and do not disturb the 'Maren resting. I'll be back soon."

As soon as the door swung shut on its hinges behind the elder, Katenihp out-right snickered. "Well, who's up for _hide _and_ seek_?" He flashed Akila a deceitful look and her spirits plummeted further.

o-o-o

Coget once again found herself in Reala's quarters, seated casually against the arm of the striped throne placed attentively at the center. Chamelan passed on to her that the first-level had been scouting about for her, which oddly at this point came as no surprise.

At first, she was a bit peeved at the way her partner was acting towards the situation as a whole. Coget originally assumed that Reala's constant pestering and abnormal mood swings were normal for his character. After all, how was she supposed to know her partner very well if her creation day had been only a few weeks ago? Not long after the assumption had been made however, Reala's odd behaviors had been pointed out by others and Coget began to doubt her opinion but not enough to believe it.

It was only when the frazzled form of Reala had answered Coget's knocking that she realized how much the stress was taking its toll.

So there she was, settled with one arm on her crooked knee and the other clutching the back of the elaborate piece of furnishing, while Reala paced in the air just below her.

"So, the visitor recognized her?" Coget wasn't sure how to feel about what he told her. Of course, it would be an awful inconvenience if anyone on the outside accidently boggled Akila's amnesia. Apparently during the hunt all three of them had dogged a flying meteor and she hadn't been aware.

"Yes, yes! I'm just surprised she didn't _react_ to the girl. Shit, the visitor picked her up and started swinging the hell-spawn around for god's sake!"

"Maybe the gas's effects aren't fully out of her system?" The younger of the two offered. "I'm not saying we aren't lucky here, but what if her mind's just totally wiped and there's nothing left there to re-stoke?"

Reala halted in mid-flight before gracing her with an astonished, hypercritical look. A frustrated sound escaped him before he threw his arms upward. "You aren't making a single bloody word of sense! She does remember things, how you noticed how quickly she's picked up on things?"

"Does it really matter? The girl's dead now, right? Claimed by that _Dark-Ocean_-voodoo-void-thing? We won't have to deal with her anymore, which brings me back to why you want me over here again?"

Reala's expression darkened.

o-o-o

All of the PC's placed a limb one on top of the other within the circle, twelve in total, before glancing over at Akila, daring her to join in.

"Come on, Reala's-pet. Don't whimper out on a game." Katenihp grinned and ushered her over with a paw. Breathing in deeply, Akila knew it was her job to watch the group, to be the leader. How could Reala-Sama do it? Even Nee-san made it look easy. She reluctantly placed her hand in the middle, hoping to satisfy the oppressors.

"Three, two, one− NOT IT!" Jericol shouted and pulled his arm free. The others also did so in rapid succession. Akila managed to slip her hand free and say the binding words of _'not it' _before the last. This, anticlimactically, ended up being Magalow, a short procreation who most of the PC's nicknamed _Witch-Fish_. The PC was a little slow on the uptake, and a follower to the other power-hungry Procreations, but Aki could never figure out why they had given him the name.

Before Akila had a say in anything about hiding boundaries or rules, the group she was meant to watch dispersed and half of them ran for door. Some of them dove for the opposite reaches of the room as soon as Magalow turned to count, leaving herself and the _'it'_ player where they stood.

It took lagging moment for her to gather herself into the game and only had seconds to find the cover of a bunk bed.

When Witch-Fish began his search, he discovered three 'Maren in under a minute −a lucky break for him− with herself being the third caught. Apparently she wasn't hidden far enough under, but Akila didn't mind, it was just as fun trying to help the counter find the rest of the players.

"Hey, where did Zabu and Blacketti go?"

Akila's attention immediately shifted to the empty bunks.

Takalr, the first one found, scratched the back of her head −being the one who asked the question− and Jodeth, the second, scoffed. "I knew it! They were faking. Probably joined in on the game while you were counting, Witch-Fish."

"Well, whatever. We'll find them too. Come on, let's get searching." Takalr scuttled off on her eight legs and the rest followed the example.

After fully sweeping the room, it was time to scout beyond the room. Right before Takalr opened the door, an abrupt fit of coughing shook one of the overturned closets not far from where Jodeth stood. He yelped at the sound, causing the other half of the search party to laugh. Even Akila joined in, being also amused. From what she had seen, he was a passionate PC and had a strange fascination with dignified figures. Often times, he would try to impersonate such a personality, yet fail. Relatively speaking, he wasn't so bad, but being as timid as she was Akila still felt uneasy with the prospect of approaching others.

Jodeth grunted after the fright, displeased and clearly embarrassed before roughly pulling the curtain back.

Zabu sat stationary on the floor, eyes a sickeningly bruised colour and face looking liked cracked, grey pottery. He laughed hoarsely at his discoverer's flustered state and joined the search group in the open light of the room. Akila insisted nervously that he should be asleep in bed, but he shirked her off. Zabulon told them he was eager to play the game too. The round PC also informed that he had seen Blacketti take off of on her own to possibly hide as well. So why not join the fun?

o-o-o

Coget blinked. "So, she was named Akila before she was brainwashed? Wait, how did you−" She trailed off, confused by the concept of what Reala introduced. He'd taken to sitting on the throne, which was better then pacing around in circles.

"I− I remembered a conversation we had a long ways back. At the time, I thought he was just asking stupid questions just to make conversation or something− _I− I don't know."_ Reala clutched at the crown of his hat, digging his claws into the material just above the persona he wore. "I came up with the name just to humor him but," Reala exhaled, letting his hands fall.

"Never thought he'd use it. Not after all that I've done."

o-o-o

"Alright! You guy's win! Come out!" Magalow's voice bounced back and forth off the cold stone walls, hoping that the sound would reach the remaining PC's. All of them had been found with the exception of Jericol and Blacketti.

No replies returned and no bodies skipped back into the corridor from any of the closed doors. The hallways of the castle were naturally dark and Akila was use to that; but for some reason though, it was unnaturally silent.

Half the group had given up and retreated back to the Procreation ward, just in case Puffy returned early. The original four, including Akila and the new addition Zabu, now composed the party. They hadn't gotten anywhere until one of Jodeth's perky ears twitched.

"Hey!" he hissed. The group stopped when hearing his lowered voice and they all listened intently. "I just heard something from that room." He slunk his way closer, as well as anyone could with the lack of limbs he possessed −being partly aquatic− and pushed against the unlatched door. He peered inside the crack or few seconds before opening the door further. Zabu whimpered and flinched, seeming to be in pain and Akila was instantly at his side. Once again she insisted that he returned to the ward but he outright refused.

Jodeth, in all his stealthy glory suddenly jolted backward with a shout, slammed the door closed and ran for the opposite side of the hall.

"Jodeth?" Takalr approached her shaking friend, head tilted in concern. He stuttered for a moment before pointing at the door, eyes wide with horror. Witch-Fish was just about to look inside when Jodeth reprimanded him. "No. Don't open it. Oh god."

"Jod', what did you see?−" A faint gurgling sound bubbled up from behind the door and Akila grimaced along with the others. After hearing the noise, Takalr's mouth froze in motion before stiffly regaining function.

"Open it, Witch-Fish." Thin determination masked Takalr's fear and it served its purpose enough to convince the PC to obey.

When he pushed it open, a rectangular beam of dull light cast by the hall illuminated a bright puddle within the blackened room.

Akila's eyes widened. She recognized the colour, and judging by the disgusted sounds her companions made, they did too. They all jumped when hearing a smacking sound within the darker reaches of the room.

A mangled, clawed arm weakly slapped the puddle of florescent pink, entering their limited view cast by the light.

Another gurgle, another claw and the face of Katenihp entered the light.

Torn in half just above the nose.

Just before they saw the rest of his distorted remains, the body sparkled, lit up and faded into dust.

Cold terror washed over all five PC's. None of them could breathe, or move. They remained in their spots until an anguished series of shrieks punctuated the silence a few doors down.

o-o-o

Reala and Coget were interrupted by a knock at the door and they were both oddly thankful for it. In Reala's case, he found that a good chunk of the thousands of knots holding him together had come undone, and in front of his wayward partner no less. Coget on the other hand found this development just as disturbing and almost wished he would stop talking.

Reala however had enough left in him to maintained his stature, and managed to look a convincing level of annoyed when he opened the door.

To both of their shock, there was Puffy leaning heavily against his doorway. The second-level was huffing away, showing the evident exertion she went through to get there in hurried speeds.

"Is Coget here?" She inquired, a slight plead hidden by her gasps for air. Reala's guest flew over at the mentioning of her name and the owner of the room moved to the side.

"What's wrong?" It almost wasn't a question, but a statement. Puffy's eyes brightened up at the sight of her, the second-level's search successful.

"I went to speak to Wiseman after some weird things started happening to Zabu and another PC. Something was seriously wrong and I thought it was impossible for Nightmaren to get sick and−"

"Puffy. Breathe. Talk slowly."

"An epidemic. Wiseman's going to quarantine and observe them. I don't want that to happen to Zabulon but− oh, I don't know what to do anymore. They've been acting weird for a while but this all just happened over night. I need you help to me transfer them, the master ordered me to relay that message to you but−"

Once again, Coget raised her hand to halt the lower level. "Alright, lead the way. Who's keeping watch over the Procreations now?"

Puffy hesitated and grimaced away from her superior.

"Akila?"

o-o-o

A shiver crawled its way up Akila's back when hearing the nearby cries. She almost felt sick, but Nightmaren didn't have stomachs.

None of them moved as the keening went on and a nauseating sequence of crunches soon followed. Takalr let out a high whimper when a bead of movement shifted against the door shielding the source.

"_Akila, what do we do?" _Jodeth's proud tone had been reduced to a startled murmur.

Akila chose not to respond right away, while her mind still attempted to catch up with the situation. "W− ward. We need to get back to the wa−" She bit her lip when a violent motion shook the door and a black mass of− she wasn't entirely certain what it was− bubbled out from the cracks.

Their panicked cries escalated as the substance swelled, taking a life of its own as a shadowy translucent heap. When it began to pass through the solid wood of the door itself, both Zabu and Takalr pushed themselves closer to the wall and Akila followed.

The hinges suddenly squealed and the entire door flew off, nearly hitting the Procreations where they cowered. The rest of the predator slid itself free within the corridor and it loomed tall, clotting off the tunnel with its amorphous figure. The only distinguishable feature Akila instantly noticed were the chunks of scales clinging loosely to the ominous creature, covering mostly its face and various parts below the gaping maw housing needle-like teeth.

Akila didn't give herself enough time to examine it further, but when she turned to flee with the others in tow, a duo of red, glowing streaks caught their movement. An inhuman cry from the creature hit her ears, nearly shattering them and a spike of fear welled up within her.

The beast was after them.

It was the first time Akila ever rose her voice.

"Run! Go, go, _RUN!_"

Her companions erupted into hysterical screams doing just as instructed and Akila flew. She flew faster then she'd ever done before. The others were close on her heels with Zabulon bouncing below her.

The hollering of Witch-Fish escalated sharply behind them, as well as the roar of the shadow before his voice abruptly cutting off. Akila was too terrified to look back.

They took a left turn, then a right, another left. Akila hoped that her memory wouldn't fail her and was relived when the door to the ward appeared around the next corner she turned.

Takalr reached the door a split second before Akila, using her extra sets of legs to her advantage. The PC pried the door open and held it for the violet jester and Zabu to pass through.

"Jod'! Move−" Was all Takalr could get out before their companion was snatched from behind and the beast jammed the wailing Procreation within its jaws. The instant Jodeth was between the creature's teeth the monster bit down. Akila wasn't able to see all the commotion, due to the sudden panic stirring the other PC's in the ward, but as soon as the jagged teeth fell, Takalr was forcefully seized from the doorway and the slab of wood closed with a bang.

Mere seconds later, the monster began to seep through the cracks between the wood and stone floor.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to escape to, and no one to fight.

o-o-o

Reala, Coget and Puffy left the First-level hall when the youngest Nightmaren froze in place. Not noticing her hesitation at first, the others moved forwards into the next corridor. It was Puffy who noticed her missing presence first.

"Coget? What is it?−"

"Shhh. I hear something. Yelling."

They all stood still for a moment as to not make any noise. Reala turned, taking his gaze off the wall to look at Coget. "I hear it too. It's not just one, but many."

"Where's it coming from?" The second-level murmured.

"Sounds like the North Wing."

"_North_ Wing?" Coget's face became hard, her lips drawn into a stiff line. It sank in for everyone after a few seconds. "We need to move. Now."

They took off rushing through the stone maze of the castle. Reala and Coget fought for the lead, dashing up ahead while Puffy bounced along promptly at the rear.

o-o-o

Zabu shivered next to Akila within their hiding place. When the monster had gotten through the door, it immediately sprung for the remaining PC's and overturning most of the sleeping platforms. Before, Zabu wouldn't have been able to fit underneath the frames, but now the abused structures lay at angles more suitable. The Procreations who managed to escape the monster's reach carried out the same idea. Some of them Akila could see from her position under her own bed frame. One hid in the closet and another across from her beneath debris.

The last of the screams layered off. Not long ago the last visible victim had been caught and thoroughly devoured. The open floor in front of Akila's face lay a liquid mess of negative green. Some of it seeped into her safety burrow a little into the massacre and more then once made her gag.

Now that the room had silenced, heavy, dank breaths of the monstrosity occasionally passed over her. Which wasn't helping. It's kills had been fresh, but the scent of rotting was almost too strong to bear.

A few more of Blacketti's scales slipped from the exterior of the creature like shed skin. It was a wonder how they had clung to it for so long.

A ragged gasp from her friend made Akila glance over and swallow. His condition had worsened. The cracks had deepened and spread. He wasn't looking in her direction anymore, and it disturbed her.

The harsh gasping he emitted suddenly increased into hyperventilation, a distressed whine bubbled up from his vocals.

Her friend was getting too loud, this Akila knew as soon as the monster froze in its tracks. Her hand reached out to pat his side and she whispered, "Zabu?"

The gasping continued, but deepened into something more raspy. A crack just inches from where her hand landed split wide open and began to oozed a black substance. The hand of the jester retreated and she yelped softly when it nearly grazed her hand, acting as if it had a mind of its own.

"-ur-hurts-"

Akila's eyes widened and she shimmied further into the wall. His flesh spit more, letting free additional appendages of the shadowy substance and Zabu turned his head.

His face.

"-Aki-he-elp-"

A piece of his cheek fell away, revealing a massive, glowing, red hole surrounded in black. He twitched, jolted, and slumped.

The jester beside him didn't dare move, her eyes trained to his figure for any movement, but Zabu had gone completely limp. And then he shifted, head drooped and arms scrabbled about uncoordinated, trying to raise himself up. Like a puppet on strings, he was finally hoisted onto his base and the bed fell over, revealing himself to the predator. But it did not attack.

Akila lay still, watching in horror as her only friend began to claw at his spherical chest, mechanically digging figures into cracks and pulling them open. Akila was about to tear her gaze away, but a guttural tore from his figure.

All the cracks suddenly split at once. Like incased in a cocoon, the shadow forced itself free, viewing Zabulon's remains as nothing more then dead shell.

After it's final transitional stage ended, the first place it turned its contorted face to was the bed Akila hid under.

o-o-o

The screams died down and a silence ensued. The two higher ranks halted in place and the youngest frantically looked around.

"What happened?" Coget demanded, a shrill tone rising in her voice.

"It stopped."

She hissed at her partner's blunt response, "I_ know_ it stopped! My question is _why!_"

Neither of them noticed how Puffy paused at one of the doors. The second-level almost wished she hadn't spotted the state of the room.

"Reala sir? Coget?..." The feminine first-level of the group darted over to the other's side and peered in. Her visible eye shot open.

"It's a blood bath in here."

"Same story in this room." Reala called across the corridor. Puffy's brow creased seeing the splintered door against the wall.

"I told them not to leave the room. They didn't listen." The lower rank wilted where she sat and Coget placed a comforting hand on her back before dashing to Reala's side.

"Any idea what did this?"

He sighed, examining the remains of the broken door. "No. Maybe they angered one of the lower-levels, but this seems to be a little more out of control then that."

The screaming started up again, closer than before. They all took that as a signal to stop chatting and find a solution to this mess.

o-o-o

The bed serving as Akila's last defense flew across the room and she barely avoided the thick limb of shadow swiping for her.

The little jester wailed and began to zoom about, attempting to evade the gelatinous mass of both creatures as well as their snapping jaws.

Akila managed to squeeze her way through their invading presence and leaped for the door behind them. Instead of using her hands to push the door open, she drove into it with her shoulder and instantly popped out into the hallway. As soon as she was out in the open and gasping for air Akila ineptly gathered herself, pushed off from the wall and launched down the tunnel. The creatures following close on her heels.

o-o-o

A bustle of sound surged from the corridor ahead of them only one turn away from the Procreation ward and a ball of squealing purple and black collided solidly with her lookalike. The impact took Reala by surprise and the scrabble of frantic hands against his arms and vest had his mind reeling in confusion.

Coget gaped at the little blue form."_Akila?_"

An answering cry from the panicked little Nightmaren only confirmed that it was indeed her. The jester's condition was a mess. Pink fluids splattered nearly every inch of her and everything about Akila's expression and behaviors indicated that her survival instincts were in full swing. She clung to the red general as if the very air they inhaled was out to get her.

"What hap− _What the hell is that?_" Coget looked up from the trembling jester and jumped in alarm, along with Puffy. When Reala turned, his first reaction was to do the same. They weren't sure what was rushing towards them, but it resembled one of the many shadows of Nightmare.

Only it _wasn't. _And there were_ two._ Something seriously wasn't right. As soon as Akila caught sight of the shadowy mass's approaching she let out a wail.

If it had no hostile intent, it should have begun to slow in its advance, but it hadn't.

"Out of the way!" Coget hollered before diving through one of the doorways. The other two attempted the same, just to get out of the proximity of the beast. Reala had to swing open one of the closed doors and nearly got clipped in the leg when the substantial silhouettes rocketed past them.

He landed heavily on his side with the younger Nightmaren shaking in his grasp. The red jester barely got a chance to sit up before the one of the shadows turned about face and burst through the open doorway. It let out a furious roar and lashed out, momentarily stunning the first-level before he rolled out of the way of its impending attack.

A few more crafty dodges and Reala was back in the air. He may not have been the most graceful or agile of Nightmaren; displays of power and strategy were his game. In this case however, he managed, even with the living hindrance under his arm.

Reala cast Akila to the side and out of the line of fire ushering a faint yelp of surprise from the little 'Maren. Hopefully she won't be foolish enough to get in the way again.

Without thinking, Reala instantly commenced with tactic one. Avoiding the jaws of the beast once more and pushing himself off the wall in the process, he paralooped the solid shadow.

The summoned vortex restrained the creature for a moment and to his surprise it didn't seem to cause any physical damage. Instead, it snarled and nearly caught Reala's arm when it swiped at him again.

"_Reala!" _Coget was in the doorway poised in a ready stance.

The creature swung its head to face the new target and Reala also. A dark violet liquid began to trail from the creature's mouth between the jagged teeth it possessed.

Reala, taking this moment to act, circled the beast around the base and opened a wide-set portal below it. The thing bellowed, not having anything to cling onto it fell through and as soon as it no longer needed to be open, Reala sealed it off.

"That worked. We can't damage them! Send them elsewhere!"

Coget nodded franticly. "Got it! Puffy's alone with the other one! I'll−"

"MOVE!"

Puffy collided into Coget's back when bouncing through the doorway, sending the First-level careening forward with a punctuated gasp.

Everyone in the room tensed up again when the second shadow dashed in after her.

"Za−Zabu." A whimper from the corner caught Coget's attention and she sent the smallest 'Maren an astonished glance.

Surely she didn't mean−

Coget suddenly regarded the shadow creature in a different light and noticed the remaining bits of flesh and material adorning the being. It had stopped all movement, the same as they had and took up a crouched position like a cat hunting a bird.

"Is that… _Zabulon?_" The mother of the monstrosity glanced over at Coget briefly before regarding what was once her creation. From Puffy's paralyzed position she began to shake.

Without any warning, the shadow let out a bone-splintering cry and dashed for Reala and Akila in the back corner. The older jester dodged the inky appendages with a quicker dash to the right.  
"Coget! Distract it!"

His younger partner flashed him an flummoxed glance. "Wh− WHAT?"

"DO IT! _NOW!_" Without a thought, she took his place, dodging another sudden blow to the head.

"If you're going to do something, Do it NOW_!_" She shrieked.

Reala escaped behind it and using a quick paraloop he opened another window. His partner suddenly caught on to his intentions and with a determined launch off the wall Coget slammed into the beast.

Even though it had a thick base holding it upright, the shadow toppled over. It flailed in an attempt to pull itself up and in its last stand one of its coils lashed out towards the little Nightmaren cowering in the corner.

Before Coget and Reala could catch up with what was happening, the monster dropped down into the hole, dragging a wailing Akila along with it.

Her guardian hollered and pounced for the portal but it closed almost instantly. Coget's hands met solid stone floor and she cried out in anguish, falling to her knees.

"God, dammit, what have you done! Reala, where did you _send_ them!"

Reala landed by the other first-level, panting slightly. "I'm not sure."

Puffy was still but not silent, her face oddly discoloured. "This… this is my fault." She sobbed.

"HEY! What's going− Woah." Jackle entered the room with Donbalon at his side, both wide-eyed at the scene that lay before them.

"What happened?" The clown bounced over to the rabbit 'Maren seated on the stone, noticing the state she was in.

"Hey! Coget? Why're you crying?" Jackle started before catching sight of Puffy not far from her, "You too?"

The feminine second-level finally left her shocked stupor and a massive wail jumped from her throat, scaring the living hell out of everyone in the room.

The Nightmaren general rose from the floor with a business look about him, if not a bit distressed. "Take care of these two. I'll be back." Reala flew out of the room leaving the two second levels with the broken hearted.

0-0-0-0-0

Akila opened her eyes to an unfamiliar darkness and sat up.  
She looked about, momentarily dreading that the shadow was around her until it came to Akila's attention it was not around. Wherever the thing lurked, she did not want it to discover her any time soon.

_It_ was once her only friend, who would play with her when the other younglings loathed to be in the same room as her. Though while Akila'd lost her friend, the bullies were no longer alive to threaten her either. She did not wish their fate upon anyone, even if they treated her poorly.

When realizing she was safe for the time being, Akila let her gaze be captivated by new surroundings. One fact could be confirmed, and that was for sure. Akila had no idea where she was.

Was this some other part of Nightmare? No, it couldn't have been, it was too bright, too spacious. However, the light was dim in comparison to the vibrant Nightopia she had set foot in not long ago. Gazing up at the murky clouds, she noticed tall willow branches draping over her. There were a lot of willow trees.

Shifting her position to something relatively more comfortable, her efforts only sent a prickling pain up her arm. Akila cringed and pulled her elbow up to her face, realized that her landing pad was in fact a rose bush. More specifically, a violet rose bush. She poked one of the little flowers by her leg with her nails.

"Pretty." She mumbled and reached upward for a gangly branch.

Pulling herself out of the bush, with more effort on her end then normal, Akila heard a sharp crack under her foot causing her to yelp and leap to the side.

Aki reached down to pull her broken locket from the dying grass. Biting back a sob, she stuffed the remaining bits back under her collar.

What a load of rotten lucky she was having today.

A trickle of something familiar caught Akila's ear and she pulled out her ruined trinket once more.

Adding to her confusion, the charm lay silently in her palm. The sound came from elsewhere, not her treasure.

Paying attention to the transfixing melody, she followed it using the willows as a cover, just in case the shadow hid nearby.

The sound grew within the thicket of trees and she realized that the tune was unique. It didn't formed by the same feather-light pings of her locket, but held the deeper edge of a more robust instrument.

Finally upon the source of the music, Akila parted a set of bushes to discover a clearing.  
Within the open space, a pale boy in dreary clothing sat at a large black box. His fingers danced over a long stretch of smaller black and white rectangular keys. Every time the thin appendages of the boy's hand pressed to the said rectangles, sound came fourth. It was truly an astounding sight.

Akila found herself entranced by the combinations of notes he slew together. It was sweet, emotional, gloomy.

_"Visitor."_ She whispered to herself, and sat among the thorns at her feet. After a minute or so of intent listening, AKila was in bliss. The music had begun to lull her to sleep.

And then it stopped.

Akila looked up from her hiding spot, a little perplexed that the tune had ceased. The boy was resting his face in his hands leaning over on the strip of keys. Without thinking about the consequences, the little jester rose from her seat. With as much stealth she could manage, Akila flew over to the boy and sat on the lid of the box, watching him patiently.

He still hadn't noticed her, so she spoke up.

"Why did you stop?" She asked in a small voice. The boy rose his head when hearing her speak, unalarmed by the appearance. His eyes were a steely grey, contrasting sharply with his fair complexion. There was a lifelessness within them, and it disheartened the little jester.

"There's no one to play for anymore. I didn't do anything wrong." His tone was just as bleak, without a hint of enthusiasm, and his last statement made little to no sense to her. The visitor's head drooped downward again, his form shivering slightly.

"Play more." A hint of pained shock shone through the boy's mask and his attention was back on the Nightmaren. It took Akila a moment to realize that those words had come from _her _mouth.

"Why?" The boy looked doubtful for a moment before she answered.

"I'll listen." Akila smiled at him gently. Genuinely.

The visitor stared at her with an opened mouthed gaze before his brow creased. A tiny smile stretched his lips and his hands rose to the keys once again. His fingers then jumped back into action, continuing on with their previous performance and Akila shimmied onto her side to rest her head.

It didn't take long for her to dose off, but before her eyes closed they parted wide when noticing a hint of movement at the edge of the clearing. A dark substance slipped through the leaves of the bushes, tainting them black before sliding away, sucking the remaining life out of them and leaving grey husks behind.

The child, unaware of the danger approaching, continued on with his song until Akila gasped in fright and urgently sat up. The boy paused, looked up at her face and blinked. The beast entered the clearing and it slowly approached causing Akila to scuttle backward.

The boy must have noticed where the jester was staring because he turned, relatively calmly, to face the monstrosity looming towards them.

The beast launched itself at him and the boy slid out of the way.

Akila's fortune however had run out. She jumped from the piano, but her reaction was delayed and the beast's fangs impaled her leg. Even through the painful experience, nothing but a loud gasp left her mouth before it tossed her up, detaching her momentarily to spread its maw and swallow her whole.

A flash of flaming light passed over her vision and she found herself no longer falling to her death but onto the compacted ground. Akila blinked a few times, trying to squeeze out the offending light which saved her, but they ended up shutting completely after the third try.

o-o-o

The boy stood with his arm raised. Bright orange consumed his left arm fluctuating silently before fading into his flesh. During the entire incident, his stoic expression remained poised, very unlike the scorching light he previously unleashed. The boy's attention wandered back towards the small Nightmaren laying unconscious in the dirt, her leg torn and bleeding.

Without breaking his clam aura, he grasped the edge of his sweater and tore off a piece of the collared shirt while approaching the newly injured companion he'd made. The visitor lifted the little body, placing her on the bench of the piano before rapping the black knitted material around the bite and knotting the ends.

With one last hopeful smile, the visitor stood from his kneeling position and walked a little ways from the center spectacle of his world. When the boy reached the edge of the bush, his figure vanished without a trace.

o-o-o

Not long after, Reala landed at Akila's side and lifted her into his arms. When youngling's unconscious state hadn't changed, he silently looked over her wounds.

"You're a lucky little brat aren't you. Hm?" The makeshift bandage caught his eye and he paused. Carefully, he removed the bloodied cloth but found nothing besides two round scars beneath it. "Odd." He muttered, claws splaying along the healed flesh. Not giving the results much thought, he threw away the material. With the youngling in his hold, he reopened a window to Nightmare, knowing Coget would be awaiting their return.


	12. Chapter 12

**__********Author's Note: **It's nuts how all 12 chapters use to equal 12,511 words. And now it's up to 39,307... This is a long fucking prologue.

* * *

**Chapter 12. **

~What's that? Morisa puppeteered her friend's arm to point down at the Dreamgate fountain. When Renhet glanced at where they both collectively pointed, a grin lit his face. Under the tip of his finger was the appearance of a door seated on the edge of the cobblestone ring. Ren slowed them to a halt and a bubble of excitement from his end made the visitor laugh.

~It's a door!~ He announced, sounding just as ecstatic on the outside as the inside.

~You mean− a Nightopia?~ Morisa's voice rose, along with the anticipation.

A joyful chuckle summoned their attention and they turned. "You two seem excited." NiGHTS flew over with a wide smirk plastering his face. "I sure don't blame you though. Come on, go check it out!"

~Close your eyes until I say!~ Her partner sounded like a kid on Christmas, but it wasn't as if she was complaining. Morisa sighed and rolled her eyes before clamping them shut. The air pressure against her face pushed back her hair as Renhet rocketed downward and through the closed door. The wind dulled and they slowed to a stop.

~Ok, NOW!~

When Morisa opened her slate coloured eyes, the amount of light beyond them blinded her and she closed them again. A familiar, warm mist ghosted along her cheeks unlike the usual breeze of flight and the visitor breathed in deeply. A large smile graced the girl's lips and she squinted to see past the glare, stuttering in a breath.

The broad expansion of towering tabunoki trees standing in a natural arrangement was the first to clear.

Everything was alive, green, and the sky a lovely, endless blue. The light of a distant sun bounced off the sparkling vapor fogging up the air and shimmered like microscopic crystals. A distant sound, like consistent thunder could be heard overhead, and if her assumptions were correct, which she hoped they were, it was the sound of a waterfall.

Morisa managed to let a voiced reaction slip. ~This is a lot like the park not far from my old house.~

Owl materialized out of nowhere with a subtle pop to their right and he hummed. "I wonder which Ideya created this? It's quite a vast world."

~All the more for us to explore.~ Renhet sung, impatiently sliding his way from the old bird's side.

~I don't know.~ The girl responded still transfixed by the sight, berating the jester to stand still. ~Is there a way to tell? What Ideya created the world, I mean.~

"Well, normally−"

~Jesus, can we get on with this!− ~ Ren was about to add more before he was also interrupted.

"Stop it before you start!" NiGHTS fussed, zooming up next to Owl. "Nightopia's don't last very long these days, so you better enjoy it while you can!"

~We will. If you _let_ us.~ Renhet ground out. The visitor didn't feel like wasting any more time either, so she did not refuse when the jester took to the air again, leaving the others.

o-o-o

Morisa's dream world seemed to stretch on for miles, and there always seemed to be something around to catch her attention.

Renhet had been equally amused by this, especially during her first encounter with the Nightopians. At first the girl hadn't show much of a reaction at all, but she did regard them oddly. However when Morisa did let a thought slip over the connection, Renhet doubled over mirthfully.

_~Their faces look like eggs.~ _

No matter how many ways he looked at them now, he couldn't deny her words.

When a stray Octopaw popped from a series of caves they chased it for a good while. Morisa almost managed to nab it by the tentacle, but it panicked and sprayed Ink all over Ren's face. She really seemed to get a kick out of that. Him, not so much.

o-o-o

When they finished most of the exploration they made for the hot-spring waterfall's at the center of the world and settled down by the bottom edge of the pool. It was taller then Morisa thought it would be, but a lot of smaller streams of water formed their own minor avalanches not far from the main cascade. The massive wall of rock it fell from exceeded the height of the surrounding trees and Morisa found _them_ equally impressive. She almost wanted to strip and hop right in, but reconsidered, leaving that for another date.

Something else came to mind, and she felt like getting it out in the open. ~It's strange. My old name really ties into this place.~

~Old name?~ They levitated inches from the water as they spoke, casually floating along.

~Yeah, I changed it after we moved here. Mum said that Japanese names don't really fit in where we live now. It's weird, but alright. That, and if dad comes looking for us he'll have a harder time finding where we are.~ Renhet could feel her smiling softly, almost sadly and cleared his throat.

~So, what is it?~

~You have to keep it a secret.~

~Why?~ The sound of his bafflement made the girl giggle.

~It's like a secret identity, like a spy!~ The jester had no idea what she meant, and the visitor could tell. Another giggle slipped and he huffed.

~If you tell me, I'll tell you our secret.~

~You guys have a secret too?~ It didn't sound like she believed him.

~Yeah, mum doesn't like telling it to other visitors. I think its kinda stupid to hide though.~

The girl hummed to herself for a moment before complying.

~Alright, it's Moriko.~

~Moriko?~ He seemed to roll it around a bit before nodding his head. ~Okay, cool.~

~That's it? You said you'd tell me.~

It was Ren's turn to laugh. ~Okay, okay! Mum and I are Nightmaren. But not the bad kind.~

Wait… He _had_ told her about Nightmaren before? Right?

The visitor puzzled about this in his head for a little while before speaking. ~What's a Nightmaren?~

Apparently he hadn't.

~You know those vine things that attacked us before? That was one, I think. They steal Ideya from visitors, destroy Nightopias, give nightmares−~ Apprehension rose in the girl and he realized how horrible it made them sound. ~Mum, turned against them long before I came around! He's been fighting the Nightmaren for years. We're good, but−_ wow, I guess this is why he doesn't like telling you guys this.~ _Renhet trailed off and muttered the last bit.

Morisa breathed out a good natured sigh before pinching his bare forearm. ~No, I get it. Explains why you're a jerk most of the time.~

He swatted his own hand away and barked out a, ~Hey!~

Laughing at his reaction, she kept on messing with him. To anyone watching, Renhet looked as if he were waging war against himself. This made it all the more amusing. Eventually she laid off when he threatened to dump her into the pond.

Renhet hovered over to the edge of one of the smaller falls and ran their collective hands through it. At first, she thought he was just curious about the waters temperature, which oddly wasn't as warm as she thought it would be. He seemed unsettled.

~What's with you?~ The girl pestered and the jester hesitate with his reply.

~I dunno. Something doesn't feel right about this place.~

The girl blinked and began to scope out the area for anything off. Then again, she had no idea what to look for. It was her first time ever being there. Still, nothing looked troubling.

~Seriously? Nothing looks wrong to me.~

~Maybe I'm imagining it then, but the water's really da−~

Something black burst from the pool stationed behind them and seized the dualized pair within its jaws. Neither of them could registered what was going on, but all either of them felt at that moment was a scorching pain within their chests.

Whatever attacked them snapped its head backward, flinging them both separately against the stone cliff. The shadow fell backwards releasing a pained howl. The needle-like teeth previously spearing them now melted down to half their size.

Stunned, Morisa struggled to sit up, cradling the back of her head where it struck the ground. Her hands shot up to her face when a dull flash violet illuminated her palms.

She glance up at the beast keening over by the falls, it was still preoccupied with its own suffering. Taking in the sight of its mouth and the sheen of pink along its lips, Morisa ghosted her hand where the recent pain had torn. Only to find nothing there. The girl's heart leaped into her throat and her eyes darted about, locating Renhet on his side not far from her.

A startled cry escaped her throat and Morisa dragged herself over to the smaller body to flip him over.

When the creature had pounced, it caught hold of them around the middle. The teeth it previously had ran the Nightmaren right through, leaving multiple gaping holes along his torso leaking florescent liquid like a broken dam.

"Wake _up!_ REN!" In a struggling attempt, she pressed her hands down over the wounds, hoping that what she learned during her months trapped at the hospital would help slow it. It only seemed to cause more damage and Morisa yanked her fingers away, drenched in fluids. Whether it was from the distress or fright, the back of her throat began to tighten and a fresh round of tears brimmed the girl's eyes.

By that time, the beast was mostly recovered. Turning to meet the stuttering sobs of its new target.

Morisa could hear it moving closer and her face shot up to watch it. The beast was grinding its melting fangs together, though they looked flatter then they once did. The liquid dribbling down its front had gone purple, mixing in with the blood it recently drew.

A pool had formed at her knees and they picked up the substance when she gradually stood.

A gulp escaped from her throat when she went to clear it and like a fired missile the beast struck.

Overwhelmed by the shadow darting towards her, Morisa wailed and threw her hands up as a useless form of protection.

About a meter away from her it halted and unleashed an earsplitting shriek. When she reopened her clenched eyes her palms had grown brighter, and a wall of violet spread outward in a zing of pure energy.

Realizing with sudden confidence of her new capability, Morisa took a stepped closer.

Frustrated, the shadow lunged again and she counter attacked its advance with her hands. Morisa inhaled sharply and pushed back at it. Like the same poles of a magnet, the creature was repelled backward toward the waterfall. It suddenly turned about face from the girl, making a desperate dive for the wall of the cliff but the visitor reacted too quickly.

_"Oh,_ _no you_ _don't!_" Morisa jumped and reached the monster before it could fully merge with the rock, trusting her arm through its center. The darkness around her limb fluctuated and the hole widened, parting around the glowing wrist until she saw something.

Everything happened so quickly, but when she took sight of the bruised looking orb within the beast, her instincts told her to grab it. Morisa did just that, and with a furious yell which almost rose over the shadow's howl, her hand tightly squeezed. The shadow's shrieking climaxed as soon as the orb burst in the girl's hand, exploding in a blaze red.

The inky appendages of the creature wilted and dispersed, a fog of black soot rising off them. Eventually nothing remained and the newly born Nightopia became peacefully silent.

The girl ran over to her friend and tripped over her feet. She landed in the now dimmer puddle he lay in.

"Ren?" A familiar burst of greens and blacks invaded the corners of Morisa's vision and began curtain her view. Everything felt so real suddenly, was she really _just dreaming?_ A distant yell of Ren's name graced her ears before unconsciousness dragged her under.

o-o-o

"Oh goodness me, what happened?" Owl and NiGHTS had been scouting around for them, until a cry unlike anything they had heard came from a little further into the bush. When they came rushing over to the waterfall they found both in a horrific state.

NiGHTS dashed over to his son hoisted him up into his lap. If the youngling wasn't wearing any pink before he was certainly coated with it now. The violet jester carefully removed the smaller vest and hasty examined the wound along his chest. Three circular scars ran in a dotted line just below his armpits, but that was all. Just scars. The same design lay present along his back when NiGHTS turned him over.

"Ha− how? What the hell?" A frantic sob of relief left him and the old owl also inspected the new markings. Morisa began to stir as well and she groaned.

"o−owl?" The bird was instantly over by the visitor's side, offering the girl a foot to help her up.

"My dear, what happened? You two contract trouble like bees to flowers." His voice had dropped in an oddly comforting way and Morisa felt as if she would break down into tears after hearing it.

The girl struggled to her feet and stumbled over to where NiGHTS hovered. "Ren, is he okay?"

"Morisa." Her friend's mother gave her a look of disbelief, "He's fine but, what happened?"

"W−we were attacked. By this− thing!"

"A Nightmaren?"

"No− Well, I'm not really sure." The girl paused when the smaller jester moaned. Morisa's eyes caught a glance of his injury, momentarily distracting her. "It's healed? How did−"

"Morise, what did it LOOK like?" NiGHTS cut in, trying to get some more of answer out of the visitor. He coloured himself surprised when it worked. The girl was really out of it.

"Uh, it was all dark. Like a shadow, but it was like− I dunno. All tentacley, with long pointy teeth and−"

"Shadow?" The older Nightmaren frowned, cutting into Morisa's description.

"Yeah! It was afraid of the light coming from my hands."

The jester's eyes shot open. "Your Ideya?" Morisa nodded with a tired smile.

Owl joined the duo, also noticed something was something off with Morisa's words. "What happened to this... shadow?"

"When I grabbed something inside it and it exploded."

"I see. That's certainly interesting." Both Owl and NiGHTS exchanged troubled glances. The visitor spoke up.

"Will he be okay?"

A tired smile quirked the jester's lips, "I think so." NiGHTS reassured with a firm nod and a familiar white ghost popped up beside the girl not a second later.

When the awakeners had taken the girl home, NiGHTS immediately turned to Owl.

"Shadows can't harm visitors, they can only scare. That was not a shadow that attacked them."

"If it had been a shadow it wouldn't be able to exist here either. They can't enter Nightopias, the energies from the Ideya's barrier would instantaneously wipe them out."

"Yes, I know. And didn't she mention something about teeth? It must have been something solid to do this−" NiGHTS trailed off and looked down at the unconscious 'Maren in his arms, Owl did this also.

"There's something different about that girl. For some reason I think she's involved with_ that_." The bird nodded, gesturing towards healed injuries.

"There's no way it could have fully healed so quickly, it went right through him." The purple Nightmaren felt a surge of frustration bubble up within him, "He's low on energy, but besides that and the scars it's like he's been untouched!"

"I wonder how long her stay with us will be." Owl sighed.

"Visitors never last very long anymore. It's sad. They're lives in reality aren't what they use to be."

"I guess only time will tell."

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

**Author's Note: **_**This is the end to a prologue for the main fanfiction and you will be able to find that on my profile shortly. Since everything is being rewritten you may not find it up there yet as I am revamping all 17 chapters… yeah… -.- Thank you if you've made it this far! I really appreciate it and I hope you'll enjoy what's to come! ^^ I don't get much verbal support to spur me forwards. So any reviews you may want to grace me with would definitely speed up the process. Even if it's spelling or grammatical issues driving you nuts. Until the next installment! ~~~Jagoria **_


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